A new national assessment has found that India’s groundwater quality is generally strong, but several states continue to face significant contamination challenges. The Annual Groundwater Quality Report 2025, released by the Central Ground Water Board last week, analysed 14,978 groundwater samples collected during 2024 and offers a detailed picture of drinking water safety across the country.
According to the report, more than 71 percent of samples meet permissible drinking water standards set by the Bureau of Indian Standards. Some states and Union Territories, including Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Meghalaya and Jammu and Kashmir, recorded one hundred percent compliance with safety norms. However, 28.3 percent of samples exceeded limits on at least one quality parameter, indicating the need for local monitoring and corrective action.
Rajasthan, Haryana and Andhra Pradesh were identified as facing widespread contamination, while other regions showed localised concerns. The report highlights multiple contaminants affecting groundwater, including nitrate, fluoride and salinity, which are particularly prevalent in arid and semi-arid regions of northwestern India.
Arsenic remains a major issue in the Ganga and Brahmaputra river basin, while uranium contamination, though less widespread, has been detected in parts of Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Punjab recorded the highest uranium levels, with more than half of pre- and post-monsoon water samples exceeding safe limits. Haryana, Delhi, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh also showed uranium contamination to a lesser extent.
The report attributes declining groundwater quality to untreated industrial discharge, heavy fertiliser use, poor waste management, sewage leakage and over-extraction of groundwater. It also warns that trace metals such as arsenic, lead and uranium pose severe long-term health risks, including neurological disorders, kidney damage, skeletal problems and cancers. Elevated iron and manganese levels were among the most common pollutants found during pre-monsoon testing.
The findings underline an urgent need for targeted groundwater treatment, improved waste management and sustained monitoring. While much of India continues to have safe drinking water sources, experts stress that unchecked contamination could threaten public health, agricultural productivity and food security.