Switch thirsty crops, water by drip
Where most water goes to fields, moving from paddy and sugarcane to millets, pulses or maize, and from flood to drip or sprinkler irrigation, saves more than any recharge can add.
Groundwater level in Ambala
130%Over-exploited
This area pumps out more water than rain puts back. That is the 2025 stage of groundwater extraction: water pumped out in a year as a share of what rain and other sources safely put back. Up 30 points since 2017.
504 million m³pumped out each year (2025)
387 million m³can be taken out safely each year
117 million m³yearly shortfall drawn from stored water
71%goes to irrigation; the rest to homes and industry
Extraction since 2009
Each point is one CGWB assessment. Over-exploited means more water leaves the ground than comes back, so the water table keeps falling. Hover over or tap a point to see why it moved.
Safe · up to 70%Semi-critical · 70–90%Critical · 90–100%Over-exploited · above 100%
Show the numbers
| Year | Stage | Pumped out | Safe limit | Category | What changed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 94.0% | 493 million m³ | 522 million m³ | Critical | First assessment in this series. |
| 2013 | 102.0% | 575 million m³ | 563 million m³ | Over-exploited | Pumping up 17% (493 → 575 million m³). Safe limit up 8% (522 → 563 million m³). Main reason: more water was pumped out, mostly for irrigation (416 → 498 million m³). |
| 2017 | 100.5% | 511 million m³ | 508 million m³ | Over-exploited | Pumping down 11% (575 → 511 million m³). Safe limit down 10% (563 → 508 million m³). CGWB changed its method in 2017 (GEC-97 to GEC-2015), so part of this change comes from the new method. |
| 2020 | 124.1% | 537 million m³ | 432 million m³ | Over-exploited | Pumping up 5% (511 → 537 million m³). Safe limit down 15% (508 → 432 million m³). Main reason: less water soaked back in, from weaker rain, less canal seepage or more paved ground. |
| 2022 | 113.3% | 458 million m³ | 404 million m³ | Over-exploited | Pumping down 15% (537 → 458 million m³). Safe limit down 7% (432 → 404 million m³). Main reason: less water was pumped out, mostly for irrigation (394 → 313 million m³). |
| 2023 | 123.1% | 486 million m³ | 395 million m³ | Over-exploited | Pumping up 6% (458 → 486 million m³). Safe limit down 2% (404 → 395 million m³). Main reason: more water was pumped out, mostly for irrigation (313 → 340 million m³). |
| 2024 | 127.4% | 502 million m³ | 394 million m³ | Over-exploited | Pumping up 3% (486 → 502 million m³). Safe limit down 0% (395 → 394 million m³). Main reason: more water was pumped out, mostly for irrigation (340 → 357 million m³). |
| 2025 | 130.2% | 504 million m³ | 387 million m³ | Over-exploited | Pumping up 1% (502 → 504 million m³). Safe limit down 2% (394 → 387 million m³). |
Million m³: 1 million m³ = 100 crore litres. 2009 and 2013 used the older GEC-97 method.
Loading 20 years of rainfall…
Ponds and lakes in Ambala
684 of 775 water bodies (88%) are not in use: dried up, silted, built over or polluted. Bringing them back is one of the cheapest ways to recharge groundwater.
Loading the map of water bodies in Ambala…
- Ponds774
- Tanks1
Source: 1st Census of Water Bodies, Ministry of Jal Shakti (counted in 2018-19, published 2023).
Haryana's own survey of Ambala
Haryana mapped its ponds from satellite images in 2023, so its count differs from the census, which recorded water bodies on the ground in 2018-19. It also counts the tube wells that pump groundwater for irrigation.
1,676ponds, covering 2,332 acres
67other water bodies such as lakes and tanks, covering 59 acres
25,485tube wells for irrigation (16.2 per km²)
Source: Haryana Water Resources Atlas 2025, Haryana Water Resources Authority. Ponds and water bodies mapped from satellite data in 2023 (Pond Authority Haryana, HARSAC); irrigation tube wells counted in 2022-23 (Ground Water Cell, Haryana).
What will fix it here
Most of the water here goes to farming, so using less on fields matters as much as recharge.
Recharge pits and shafts in open land
Parks, campuses, warehouse yards and road sides can take recharge shafts that reach past the clay layer, so runoff that floods streets goes down to the aquifer instead.
Revive village ponds and johads
Desilting old ponds and opening their feeder channels restores natural recharge. A one-hectare pond that soaks in a metre of water over the monsoon puts back about a crore litres.
Rooftop rainwater recharge
Pipe roof water through a silt trap and filter into a recharge pit or an old borewell. Every 100 m² of roof puts back tens of thousands of litres a year, right where the pumping happens.
Check dams and contour trenches
On sloping or rocky land, small dams on seasonal streams and trenches along contours slow water down long enough for it to sink in.
Treat and reuse wastewater
Treated water from a sewage treatment plant can run flushing, gardens, cooling towers and construction, which today often draw on borewells.
Frequently asked questions
What is the groundwater level in Ambala?
In the 2025 Central Ground Water Board assessment, Ambala (Haryana) pumped out 130% of the groundwater that can be safely taken out each year, which puts it in the "over-exploited" category. That is 30 points higher than in 2017.
Is groundwater in Ambala over-exploited?
Yes. Ambala takes out more groundwater than rain and other sources put back, so the water table keeps falling.
How can groundwater be recharged in Ambala?
Rooftop rainwater harvesting into recharge pits or old borewells, recharge shafts in open land, reviving ponds, check dams, treating and reusing wastewater, and moving farms to drip irrigation and less thirsty crops.
How many tube wells are there in Ambala?
The Haryana Water Resources Atlas 2025 counts 25,485 tube wells used for irrigation in Ambala district (2022-23).
How many ponds and lakes are there in Ambala?
The first Census of Water Bodies counted 775 water bodies in Ambala, including 774 ponds. 684 of them were not in use.