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 Gurugram (Gurgaon)
195%Over-exploited
This area pumps out 1.9 times the water that 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. Down 26 points since 2017.
440 million m³pumped out each year (2025)
226 million m³can be taken out safely each year
214 million m³yearly shortfall drawn from stored water
49%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 | 232.0% | 539 million m³ | 233 million m³ | Over-exploited | First assessment in this series. |
| 2013 | 133.0% | 318 million m³ | 238 million m³ | Over-exploited | Pumping down 41% (539 → 318 million m³). Safe limit up 2% (233 → 238 million m³). Main reason: less water was pumped out, mostly for homes and industry (182 → 37 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 | 220.8% | 421 million m³ | 191 million m³ | Over-exploited | Pumping up 33% (318 → 421 million m³). Safe limit down 20% (238 → 191 million m³). Main reason: more water was pumped out, mostly for homes and industry (37 → 202 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. CGWB changed its method in 2017 (GEC-97 to GEC-2015), so part of this change comes from the new method. |
| 2020 | 202.8% | 414 million m³ | 204 million m³ | Over-exploited | Pumping down 2% (421 → 414 million m³). Safe limit up 7% (191 → 204 million m³). Main reason: more water soaked back into the ground, from better rain, canals or recharge structures. |
| 2022 | 213.1% | 428 million m³ | 201 million m³ | Over-exploited | Pumping up 3% (414 → 428 million m³). Safe limit down 2% (204 → 201 million m³). Main reason: more water was pumped out, mostly for homes and industry (194 → 222 million m³). |
| 2023 | 214.0% | 432 million m³ | 202 million m³ | Over-exploited | Pumping up 1% (428 → 432 million m³). Safe limit up 0% (201 → 202 million m³). |
| 2024 | 212.8% | 433 million m³ | 203 million m³ | Over-exploited | Pumping up 0% (432 → 433 million m³). Safe limit up 1% (202 → 203 million m³). |
| 2025 | 194.6% | 440 million m³ | 226 million m³ | Over-exploited | Pumping up 2% (433 → 440 million m³). Safe limit up 11% (203 → 226 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 Gurugram
272 of 535 water bodies (51%) 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 Gurugram…
- Ponds521
- Tanks6
- Reservoirs4
- Others4
Source: 1st Census of Water Bodies, Ministry of Jal Shakti (counted in 2018-19, published 2023).
Haryana's own survey of Gurugram
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.
953ponds, covering 1,451 acres
245other water bodies such as lakes and tanks, covering 2,907 acres
19,889tube wells for irrigation (15.8 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 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 Gurugram?
In the 2025 Central Ground Water Board assessment, Gurugram (Haryana) pumped out 195% of the groundwater that can be safely taken out each year, which puts it in the "over-exploited" category. That is 26 points lower than in 2017.
Is groundwater in Gurugram over-exploited?
Yes. Gurugram takes out more groundwater than rain and other sources put back, so the water table keeps falling.
How can groundwater be recharged in Gurugram?
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 Gurugram?
The Haryana Water Resources Atlas 2025 counts 19,889 tube wells used for irrigation in Gurugram district (2022-23).
How many ponds and lakes are there in Gurugram?
The first Census of Water Bodies counted 535 water bodies in Gurugram, including 521 ponds. 272 of them were not in use.