<p>Changes in Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) have a substantial effect on the regional groundwater availability, as they affect the mechanism of groundwater recharge. To investigate these implications, the present study attempts to understand how the sources of groundwater recharge in the Bist-Doab region of Punjab, India, have been affected by changes in LULC, over the past 20&#xa0;years. The results show two significant shifts in the pattern of LULC: the built-up area increased by 169% as a result of population growth, the construction of urban, industrial and other related infrastructure, and the market-driven agricultural cropping pattern of planting water-intensive crops. These changes have led to a decline in groundwater levels in about 90% and 94% of the areas in pre- and post-monsoon periods, respectively, over the two decades. A detailed analysis of stable water isotopes, delta oxygen (δ¹⁸O), and delta hydrogen (δ²H) in the groundwater resources helped to identify various sources and mechanism of groundwater recharge in the region. The δ¹⁸O values in the groundwater samples varied widely between 3.3‰ and 11.2‰, due to multiple recharge sources in shallow aquifer systems. Most of the groundwater samples were found to be close to the local meteoric water line, indicating the recharge of local meteoric water. It was inferred that increased recharge from stable isotopically enriched irrigation return flow, groundwater mixing, canal recharge, and recharge from the Beas and Satluj rivers significantly contributed to the recharge of the regional groundwater resources. The study further suggested that monitoring LULC changes and regulation of groundwater extraction would to instrumental in maintaining symbiotic relationship between groundwater and thriving human population.</p>