Groundwater plays a vital role in food security, water availability, and economic growth of more than 1.3 billion people in India. Notwithstanding the development of irrigation schemes based on surface water, groundwater remains a primary source of irrigation in large parts of the country. The Green revolution in the 1970s contributed considerably to increasing food production in India through the development of groundwater-based irrigation, which resulted in an expansion of irrigated area and a rapid rise in the number of electric and diesel pumps. A large part of the rain-fed area was converted to irrigated agriculture leading to growing multiple crops in a year with increased crop yields. While the expansion in groundwater-based irrigation helped meet the rising food demands of a large population of India, it has resulted in several environmental implications. Groundwater depletion in India has now become one of the most prominent challenges for food and water security. Both in-situ and satellite-based observations indicate a rapid decline in groundwater storage in north India. Both natural and anthropogenic factors cause groundwater depletion in India. Groundwater pumping for irrigation remains the primary driver of groundwater depletion, which can further affect food and water security in India under climate change. Both in-situ and satellite-based measurements have issues and uncertainty. Land surface hydrological models provide essential insights in understanding the groundwater storage variability; however, need improvements in the representation of complex processes related to climate-human interactions. Sustainable management of groundwater in India is vital for tackling growing challenges related to water availability. Here we discuss the challenges and opportunities related to the measurements and modelling of groundwater, groundwater recharge, cropping systems and irrigation efficiency, and social and policy reforms for sustainable groundwater management in India.

在印度超过13亿人口的粮食安全，水供应和经济增长中，地下水发挥着至关重要的作用。尽管制定了基于地表水的灌溉计划，但地下水仍然是该国大部分地区的主要灌溉来源。1970年代的绿色革命通过发展以地下水为基础的灌溉技术，极大地促进了印度粮食产量的提高，这导致了灌溉面积的扩大以及电动泵和柴油泵的数量迅速增加。大部分的雨养地区都转变为灌溉农业，从而在一年中随着作物单产的增加而种植多种作物。地下水灌溉的扩大有助于满足印度大量人口不断增长的粮食需求，它带来了一些环境影响。印度的地下水枯竭现已成为粮食和水安全方面最突出的挑战之一。实地观测和卫星观测都表明印度北部的地下水储量迅速下降。自然因素和人为因素都会导致印度的地下水枯竭。用于灌溉的地下水抽水仍是地下水枯竭的主要驱动力，在气候变化的情况下，这可能进一步影响印度的粮食和水安全。实地和基于卫星的测量都存在问题和不确定性。地表水文模型为理解地下水储量的变化提供了重要的见识；然而，需要改进与气候-人类相互作用有关的复杂过程的表述。印度地下水的可持续管理对于应对与水供应相关的日益严峻的挑战至关重要。在这里，我们讨论了与地下水的测量和建模，地下水补给，耕作系统和灌溉效率以及印度的可持续地下水管理的社会和政策改革有关的挑战和机遇。