The paper shows that the assessment of groundwater over-exploitation based on simplistic considerations of aggregate abstraction and recharge provide highly misleading outcomes.
The gravity of the problems can be gauged from the extent of well failures, sharp decline in average area irrigated by wells, and increase in energy consumption for irrigation. The adverse
affects of groundwater intensive use on tank irrigation also needs due attention. Further, the paper argues that ideas to improve groundwater management in the state such as promotion of
drip systems, replacement of paddy by dry land crops, rainwater harvesting, community management of groundwater, and rationing of power supply in the farm sector are shallow, not based on any scientific consideration of the key physical, socio-economic and institutional parameters that determine the success or effectiveness of these interventions.