2 min readBengaluruApr 8, 2026 05:48 PM IST
The Dynamic Groundwater Resources of Karnataka, 2025, has painted a concerning picture of groundwater availability for Bengaluru and the surrounding districts.
The report released on Wednesday noted that though Bengaluru Urban, Bengaluru South, Chikkaballapur, and Kolar districts have moderate to high groundwater recharge rates, their extraction was even higher. As a result, most of the taluks in the state falling under the ‘over-exploited’ category were around the state capital.
This was in contrast to the decline in groundwater use in other parts of the state. The lowest recharge to extraction ratio was for Madikeri taluk in Kodagu district, where 5.91 per cent of the amount recharge was extracted. The maximum was “as high as 378.85% in Bengaluru East, Bengaluru Urban district,” the report said.
The report by the Groundwater Directorate of Minor Irrigation and Ground Water Development Department and Central Ground Water Board said that 85 taluks had a stage of extraction of less than 50 per cent of recharge, 60 taluks had extraction ranging from 50 per cent to 70 per cent, 36 taluks extracted between 70-90 percent of the recharge and 11 taluks between 90-100. Of the taluks extracting more than the annual recharge, 27 extracted between 100-150 per cent, 11 between 150-200 per cent, 5 taluks 200-250%, and two taluks more than 250 per cent.
However, the total recharge of groundwater has increased compared to 2025. An increase in surface water supply in Bengaluru city due to the partial launch of Cauvery-V stage water supply helped improve groundwater levels in the city, the report noted.
Minor Irrigation and Science and Technology Minister N S Boseraju said that sustained water conservation efforts and good rainfall contributed to a significant reduction in groundwater use while recharging aquifers.
Reduced groundwater use was due to the expansion of water conservation structures in Karnataka. Recharge due to such structures grew 29.11 per cent, from 0.81 billion cubic meters (BCM) to 1.04 BCM between 2024 and 2025.
