India Is Pumping Itself Dry: Why River Water Recharge Wells Must Become National Policy Author :  CA  A. K. Jain India is facing a silent emergency beneath its feet. Groundwater-the country’s most dependable source of water-is disappearing at a pace that policy responses have failed to match. Falling water tables are no longer a future risk; they are a present reality affecting farmers, cities, and ecosystems alike. If this trajectory continues, water scarcity will become one of India’s most destabilising challenges. Incremental solutions have run their course. Large-scale river water recharge wells must now move from pilot projects to national priority. The evidence is overwhelming. In Punjab, the heart of India’s food bowl, groundwater extraction has exceeded sustainable limits for years. Tube wells plunge deeper each season, powered by subsidised electricity that masks the real cost of depletion. Paddy cultivation, unsupported by adequate surface water, has drained aquifers faster than they can recharge. Conservation appeals have failed because they ask farmers to sacrifice without offering a viable alternative. Haryana mirrors this crisis. Official monitoring shows a large proportion of wells registering multi-metre annual declines. In district after district, groundwater levels are falling even in years of normal rainfall. The result is a vicious cycle: deeper wells, higher energy use, rising costs, and increasing vulnerability for farmers already under pressure. In Rajasthan, the situation is even more stark. In several western districts, groundwater lies tens of metres below ground-and in some locations, more than a hundred metres down. In an arid state where rainfall is limited and unreliable, continued dependence on groundwater without aggressive recharge is a recipe for irreversible collapse. Once these deep aquifers fail, recovery may not be possible within human timescales. Tamil Nadu, often cited for progressive water management, presents a warning of a different kind. Here, groundwater depletion is uneven but persistent, driven by intensive agriculture, urban growth, and industrial demand. Seasonal recharge provides temporary relief, but repeated extraction prevents long-term recovery. Cities increasingly depend on tanker water while aquifers silently empty below. What unites these states is not climate alone, but policy inertia. Rainwater harvesting, check dams, and efficiency campaigns-while valuable-operate at the margins. They slow decline but do not reverse it. Groundwater depletion on this scale requires groundwater recharge on the same scale. River water recharge wells offer exactly that. Every monsoon, India’s rivers carry vast volumes of surplus water, much of which is wasted or causes floods. At the same time, adjacent regions suffer groundwater collapse. Recharge wells can connect these two realities-directing excess river flows into depleted aquifers through scientifically designed systems. Stored underground, this water is protected from evaporation and available year-round. The benefits extend beyond water quantity. Rising water tables reduce pumping depth, lower electricity demand, and ease the financial burden on farmers. Recharge can dilute salinity and chemical contamination in stressed aquifers. Most importantly, it restores resilience-something no tanker supply or emergency pipeline ever can. The reluctance to act decisively is no longer defensible. The science is clear. The pilots exist. What is missing is political will and scale. River basin planning continues to focus on surface flows, while groundwater-the resource that sustains India in dry months-is treated as an afterthought. This must change. River water recharge wells should be mandatory components of irrigation projects, urban water planning, and river rejuvenation programs. Funding must shift from scattered tokenism to basin-level implementation. Pollution safeguards and monitoring are essential-but delay is the greater danger. India cannot pump its way out of this crisis. Nor can it conserve its way out alone. Recharging aquifers using river water is the only realistic path to stopping groundwater collapse and rebuilding water security. The choice is stark: invest now in recharge, or face a future of chronic scarcity, conflict, and irreversible loss. The water table is falling. Time is falling with it. ---------------------------------------------------- Author of this article, C.A. Anil K. Jain( caindia@hotmail.com ) is a highly acclaimed Chartered Accountant with over four decades of professional experience. He is widely recognized for his expertise in financial and asset planning, taxation, international investments, and business growth strategies. Beyond advisory work. He actively contributes to national economic discourse through policy representations to the Government of India, frequent appearances on television and radio, and extensive writing. He is also the author of the acclaimed books Bharat: The Development Dilemma and River Water Recharge Wells, reflecting his commitment to India’s economic development and sustainable water solutions.