Centering on the scientific problems faced by subsurface hydrology in arid regions and ecological effect, the urgency of national ecological civilization and the Belt and Road construction towards the research of groundwater discipline, this article analyzed the formation and evolution mechanisms of groundwater and studied the groundwater function of arid regions. Based on the analysis and research, this article discussed domestic and overseas research status, existing problems and developing trend from six aspects, raised key and scientific problems which urgently need to be addressed, aiming at the existing bottlenecks of subsurface hydrology and ecological effect in arid regions and national requirement, so as to make some contribution to the innovative development of China’s groundwater science and national economic construction.