Lecture 03: Why to study groundwater

India, possessing 4% of the world's water resources, is considered water-rich, with 12 major rivers covering 253 million hectares and 46 medium rivers spanning 24.6 million hectares of catchment area. Despite abundant monsoon rainfall, inadequate storage infrastructure means only a small fraction of this water is retained. This results in uneven water distribution, leading to water stress in densely populated areas with a per capita availability of 1545 m³ annually. Projections show a decline in per capita water availability to 1401 m³ by 2025 and 1191 m³ by 2050, risking India becoming a water-scarce country.