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 Jodhpur
255%Over-exploited
This area pumps out 2.5 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. Up 36 points since 2017.
971 million m³pumped out each year (2025)
381 million m³can be taken out safely each year
590 million m³yearly shortfall drawn from stored water
83%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 | 209.0% | 814 million m³ | 389 million m³ | Over-exploited | First assessment in this series. |
| 2013 | 229.0% | 908 million m³ | 396 million m³ | Over-exploited | Pumping up 11% (814 → 908 million m³). Safe limit up 2% (389 → 396 million m³). Main reason: more water was pumped out, mostly for irrigation (693 → 779 million m³). |
| 2017 | 218.6% | 868 million m³ | 397 million m³ | Over-exploited | Pumping down 4% (908 → 868 million m³). Safe limit up 0% (396 → 397 million m³). Main reason: less water was pumped out, mostly for irrigation (779 → 718 million m³). CGWB changed its method in 2017 (GEC-97 to GEC-2015), so part of this change comes from the new method. |
| 2020 | 254.1% | 872 million m³ | 343 million m³ | Over-exploited | Pumping up 0% (868 → 872 million m³). Safe limit down 14% (397 → 343 million m³). Main reason: less water soaked back in, from weaker rain, less canal seepage or more paved ground. |
| 2022 | 258.1% | 918 million m³ | 356 million m³ | Over-exploited | Pumping up 5% (872 → 918 million m³). Safe limit up 4% (343 → 356 million m³). Main reason: more water was pumped out, mostly for irrigation (715 → 764 million m³). |
| 2023 | 256.7% | 943 million m³ | 367 million m³ | Over-exploited | Pumping up 3% (918 → 943 million m³). Safe limit up 3% (356 → 367 million m³). |
| 2024 | 258.4% | 970 million m³ | 375 million m³ | Over-exploited | Pumping up 3% (943 → 970 million m³). Safe limit up 2% (367 → 375 million m³). |
| 2025 | 255.0% | 971 million m³ | 381 million m³ | Over-exploited | Pumping up 0% (970 → 971 million m³). Safe limit up 1% (375 → 381 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 Jodhpur
73 of 468 water bodies (16%) 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 Jodhpur…
- Ponds92
- Tanks296
- Check dams and percolation tanks25
- Others55
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 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 Jodhpur?
In the 2025 Central Ground Water Board assessment, Jodhpur (Rajasthan) pumped out 255% of the groundwater that can be safely taken out each year, which puts it in the "over-exploited" category. That is 36 points higher than in 2017.
Is groundwater in Jodhpur over-exploited?
Yes. Jodhpur takes out more groundwater than rain and other sources put back, so the water table keeps falling.
How can groundwater be recharged in Jodhpur?
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 Jodhpur?
The first Census of Water Bodies counted 468 water bodies in Jodhpur, including 92 ponds. 73 of them were not in use.
Other districts in Rajasthan
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