New Delhi, July 24 -- Even as India faces a 19% cumulative rainfall deficit in the southwest monsoon so far this season, the country's groundwater reserves remain largely stable, according to the agriculture ministry's latest Crop Weather Watch Group (CWWG) report. Nearly 88% of groundwater monitoring wells across the country continue to record normal water levels, suggesting farmers in irrigated regions are unlikely to face immediate water stress despite uneven rainfall, according to experts.

As per the report, 7,977 of the 9,085 groundwater monitoring wells assessed nationwide fall under the normal category, while only 12.2% exhibit varying degrees of groundwater drought. Around 69% of monitored wells have groundwater levels within 10 ...