No. When dowsing is tested scientifically, there is no evidence that dowsing rods can locate underground water, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Dowsers who seem to succeed are usually working where groundwater is so common near the surface that it would be hard to drill a well and miss it.
Dowsing, also called divining or water witching, is the practice of walking over land with a forked stick, wire rods, a pendulum or a similar device that is supposed to dip or move when it passes over water. The traditional tool is a forked stick, often cut from willow, peach or witch hazel, held palms up with the point aimed at about 45 degrees. The USGS notes that some water lies under the surface almost everywhere, which explains why many dowsers appear to be right. Finding usable water reliably, including its depth, quantity and quality, takes hydrologic, geologic and geophysical study and testing of the site.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Water Science School, “Water Dowsing”
Image: An 18th-century dowser, unknown artist, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.