Which one among the following river basins has the highest level of gr

Which one among the following river basins has the highest level of ground water utilisation?

Mahanadi
Godavari
Krishna
Kaveri
This question was previously asked in
UPSC Geoscientist – 2021
Based on data from the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) regarding groundwater development (utilization as a percentage of replenishable groundwater resource), the Kaveri (Cauvery) basin typically shows a very high level of groundwater utilization among the options provided.
Basins in parts of South India and North West India often face significant groundwater stress due to intensive irrigation, high population density, and urbanization.
While all these basins utilize groundwater, the Kaveri basin, particularly in its delta region and other intensely cultivated areas within Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, has a very high level of groundwater extraction, leading to significant stress on the resource and categorization as over-exploited in many blocks.