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 Dhanbad
75%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 2 points since 2017.
197 million m³pumped out each year (2025)
264 million m³can be taken out safely each year
Noneno yearly shortfall
15%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 | 52.0% | 70.4 million m³ | 135 million m³ | Safe | First assessment in this series. |
| 2013 | 77.0% | 153 million m³ | 200 million m³ | Semi-critical | Pumping up 117% (70 → 153 million m³). Safe limit up 48% (135 → 200 million m³). Main reason: more water was pumped out, mostly for homes and industry (38 → 135 million m³). 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. |
| 2017 | 76.3% | 163 million m³ | 214 million m³ | Semi-critical | Pumping up 6% (153 → 163 million m³). Safe limit up 7% (200 → 214 million m³). CGWB changed its method in 2017 (GEC-97 to GEC-2015), so part of this change comes from the new method. |
| 2020 | 67.1% | 158 million m³ | 236 million m³ | Safe | Pumping down 3% (163 → 158 million m³). Safe limit up 10% (214 → 236 million m³). Main reason: more water soaked back into the ground, from better rain, canals or recharge structures. |
| 2022 | 75.1% | 184 million m³ | 245 million m³ | Semi-critical | Pumping up 16% (158 → 184 million m³). Safe limit up 4% (236 → 245 million m³). Main reason: more water was pumped out, mostly for homes and industry (133 → 158 million m³). |
| 2023 | 74.3% | 189 million m³ | 254 million m³ | Semi-critical | Pumping up 3% (184 → 189 million m³). Safe limit up 4% (245 → 254 million m³). |
| 2024 | 73.5% | 190 million m³ | 259 million m³ | Semi-critical | Pumping up 1% (189 → 190 million m³). Safe limit up 2% (254 → 259 million m³). |
| 2025 | 74.6% | 197 million m³ | 264 million m³ | Semi-critical | Pumping up 4% (190 → 197 million m³). Safe limit up 2% (259 → 264 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 Dhanbad
812 of 4,060 water bodies (20%) 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 Dhanbad…
- Ponds3,880
- Lakes2
- Reservoirs1
- Check dams and percolation tanks176
- Others1
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 Dhanbad?
In the 2025 Central Ground Water Board assessment, Dhanbad (Jharkhand) pumped out 75% of the groundwater that can be safely taken out each year, which puts it in the "semi-critical" category. That is 2 points lower than in 2017.
Is groundwater in Dhanbad over-exploited?
No. At 75% of the safe yield, Dhanbad is semi-critical, though recharge is still needed as demand grows.
How can groundwater be recharged in Dhanbad?
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 Dhanbad?
The first Census of Water Bodies counted 4,060 water bodies in Dhanbad, including 3,880 ponds. 812 of them were not in use.