Dr. Rajesh Misra
Principal Scientist, Geological Survey of India
4
Pieces published
5.5K
Followers
98K
Total reads
1y
Years at NT
Get notified when Dr. publishes a new piece
About
Dr. Rajesh Misra is a principal scientist at the Geological Survey of India with 28 years of fieldwork on groundwater systems and aquifer mapping across arid and semi-arid zones. He contributes to NT's science desk with data-driven analysis of India's groundwater crisis — a story he says journalists consistently misunderstand because they report on symptoms not systems.
Credentials & Background
PhD Hydrogeology, IIT Roorkee (1998). Principal Scientist, GSI. 60+ peer-reviewed papers. UN-Water consultant (2022).
Recent Pieces by Dr.
India's aquifers are not depleting — they are collapsing. There is a difference.
Aquifer depletion is reversible with recharge. Aquifer collapse — when the geological structure compacts — is not. India is crossing this threshold in 14 districts.
What CGWB data actually says vs what the government press release said
The official release cited a 2% improvement in groundwater levels. The full CGWB dataset tells a more complex story by region and depth.