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.
Groundwater level in Central
76%Semi-critical
Groundwater is under pressure here. 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. Down 5 points since 2017.
17.5 million m³pumped out each year (2025)
23.1 million m³can be taken out safely each year
Noneno yearly shortfall
14%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 | 109.0% | 3.8 million m³ | 3.5 million m³ | Over-exploited | First assessment in this series. |
| 2017 | 80.8% | 19.2 million m³ | 23.8 million m³ | Semi-critical | Pumping up 405% (4 → 19 million m³). Safe limit up 580% (4 → 24 million m³). Main reason: more water soaked back into the ground, from better rain, canals or recharge structures. A swing this large usually comes partly from revised estimates (a new well count or changed district boundaries), not only from changes on the ground. CGWB changed its method in 2017 (GEC-97 to GEC-2015), so part of this change comes from the new method. |
| 2020 | 91.4% | 16.5 million m³ | 18.1 million m³ | Critical | Pumping down 14% (19 → 17 million m³). Safe limit down 24% (24 → 18 million m³). Main reason: less water soaked back in, from weaker rain, less canal seepage or more paved ground. |
| 2022 | 74.4% | 18.1 million m³ | 24.3 million m³ | Semi-critical | Pumping up 10% (17 → 18 million m³). Safe limit up 34% (18 → 24 million m³). Main reason: more water soaked back into the ground, from better rain, canals or recharge structures. A swing this large usually comes partly from revised estimates (a new well count or changed district boundaries), not only from changes on the ground. |
| 2023 | 78.9% | 17.4 million m³ | 22.1 million m³ | Semi-critical | Pumping down 4% (18 → 17 million m³). Safe limit down 9% (24 → 22 million m³). Main reason: less water soaked back in, from weaker rain, less canal seepage or more paved ground. |
| 2024 | 81.0% | 18.0 million m³ | 22.2 million m³ | Semi-critical | Pumping up 3% (17 → 18 million m³). Safe limit up 0% (22 → 22 million m³). |
| 2025 | 75.6% | 17.5 million m³ | 23.1 million m³ | Semi-critical | Pumping down 3% (18 → 18 million m³). Safe limit up 4% (22 → 23 million m³). Main reason: more water soaked back into the ground, from better rain, canals or recharge structures. |
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 Central
16 of 18 water bodies (89%) 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 Central…
- Ponds7
- Lakes3
- Others8
Source: 1st Census of Water Bodies, Ministry of Jal Shakti (counted in 2018-19, published 2023).
What will fix it here
Most of the water here goes to homes and industry, so rooftop recharge and reuse make the biggest difference.
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.
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.
Meter borewells and fix leaks
Metered and registered borewells, leak repairs in supply lines and water-efficient fixtures cut pumping without anyone going short.
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.
Permeable paving and green cover
Porous pavers, unpaved tree pits and bioswales along roads let rain soak in instead of racing to the drain.
Frequently asked questions
What is the groundwater level in Central?
In the 2025 Central Ground Water Board assessment, Central (Delhi) pumped out 76% of the groundwater that can be safely taken out each year, which puts it in the "semi-critical" category. That is 5 points lower than in 2017.
Is groundwater in Central over-exploited?
No. At 76% of the safe yield, Central is semi-critical, though recharge is still needed as demand grows.
How can groundwater be recharged in Central?
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 ponds and lakes are there in Central?
The first Census of Water Bodies counted 18 water bodies in Central, including 7 ponds. 16 of them were not in use.