New Delhi: The Delhi government is working on a 'Groundwater Extraction and Control Policy' in order to regulate groundwater extraction in future, officials said on Thursday.
Besides previous year, Delhi has been extracting more groundwater than it recharges, which is reducing the groundwater resources of the city.
"The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) along with the environment department is working on the policy, which will soon be finalised. Through the policy water quality and contamination will be monitored," a senior official said.
Earlier, the Delhi government had announced a tubewell policy under which groundwater extraction would be monitored. Delhi has around 5,000 borewells, but experts believe that the actual number is much higher. Tubewells are allowed in areas where the water network has not reached.
The DJB is also working on a project to install 47 piezometers across the city to monitor groundwater.
"The piezometers are basically monitoring wells dug up in the ground to measure the quantity and quality of water. The work will be implemented in around four months after award of work, for which we have floated a tender," a DJB official said.
Last year the city extracted 0.32 billion cubic metres (bcm) of groundwater in 2024-25 and recharged 0.38 bcm groundwater back, as per the CGWB's report.
However, according to the Central Ground Water Board's (CGWB) 2024 report, Delhi extracted more water than it recharged.The report stated that out of 34 assessment units (tehsils) in Delhi, 14 were categorised as 'over-exploited', 13 as 'critical', two as 'semi-critical', and five units as 'safe'.
In April, during the 'Catch the Rain' event organised by the DJB as part of the rainwater harvesting programme, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said that the Delhi government is planning to bring a borewell policy in the city to ease water shortage problems.
According to officials, with limited sources of water supply of its own, the national capital's dependency on groundwater is likely to increase in the future, for which a new policy is needed.