Groundwater continues to play the significant part in the lives of humans as it supplies the majority of the country's drinking water. Not only home users but the agriculturalists and industrialists also significantly rely on groundwater. Groundwater is under extreme strain worldwide because of indiscriminate, uncontrolled, excessive groundwater exploitation and use that has resulted in groundwater depletion and contamination. In this context, the article outlines and analyses the shortcomings of the legal structure governing the use of groundwater in India. The article also proposes some of the principles and norms that should mark the new legal framework governing groundwater use. Lastly, the article argues in favour of the Model Groundwater (Sustainable Management) Bill 2017 which inculcates most of the principles discussed in the second section.
