Consider the following statements :
Statement-I :
According to the United Nations' 'World Water Development Report, 2022', India extracts more than a quarter of the world's groundwater withdrawal each year.
Statement-II :
India needs to extract more than a quarter of the world's groundwater each year to satisfy the drinking water and sanitation needs of almost 18% of world's population living in its territory.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?
Show answer
Answer: C. Statement-I is correct: the UN World Water Development Report 2022 says India is the world's largest user of groundwater, taking about a quarter of global withdrawals. Statement-II is wrong: most of India's groundwater (around 90 percent) goes to irrigation, not to drinking water and sanitation. So I is correct, II is incorrect.
Watch for: Statement-II sounds sensible given India's population, but agriculture is the main user.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Wrong because Statement-II is false.
- B. Wrong because Statement-II is false.
- D. Wrong because Statement-I is supported by the 2022 report.
Source to check: UN World Water Development Report 2022, 'Groundwater: Making the invisible visible' (UNESCO); Central Ground Water Board, Dynamic Ground Water Resources Assessment 2022
Answer from the official UPSC key. Written and fact-checked by AI against the official key. Spotted a mistake? Report it.