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 Karnal
174%Over-exploited
This area pumps out 1.7 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 4 points since 2017.
1.8 billion m³pumped out each year (2025)
1.1 billion m³can be taken out safely each year
779 million m³yearly shortfall drawn from stored water
94%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 | 140.0% | 1.2 billion m³ | 859 million m³ | Over-exploited | First assessment in this series. |
| 2013 | 121.0% | 872 million m³ | 720 million m³ | Over-exploited | Pumping down 27% (1.2 → 0.9 billion m³). Safe limit down 16% (859 → 720 million m³). Main reason: less water was pumped out, mostly for irrigation (1.2 → 0.9 billion m³). |
| 2017 | 169.9% | 1.2 billion m³ | 699 million m³ | Over-exploited | Pumping up 36% (0.9 → 1.2 billion m³). Safe limit down 3% (720 → 699 million m³). Main reason: more water was pumped out, mostly for irrigation (0.9 → 1.1 billion 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 | 168.0% | 1.2 billion m³ | 731 million m³ | Over-exploited | Pumping up 3% (1.2 → 1.2 billion m³). Safe limit up 5% (699 → 731 million m³). |
| 2022 | 172.4% | 1.3 billion m³ | 736 million m³ | Over-exploited | Pumping up 3% (1.2 → 1.3 billion m³). Safe limit up 1% (731 → 736 million m³). Main reason: more water was pumped out, mostly for homes and industry (84 → 157 million m³). |
| 2023 | 172.9% | 1.5 billion m³ | 860 million m³ | Over-exploited | Pumping up 17% (1.3 → 1.5 billion m³). Safe limit up 17% (736 → 860 million m³). |
| 2024 | 173.8% | 1.8 billion m³ | 1.1 billion m³ | Over-exploited | Pumping up 24% (1.5 → 1.8 billion m³). Safe limit up 23% (0.9 → 1.1 billion m³). |
| 2025 | 173.5% | 1.8 billion m³ | 1.1 billion m³ | Over-exploited | Pumping down 0% (1.8 → 1.8 billion m³). Safe limit up 0% (1.1 → 1.1 billion m³). |
Million m³: 1 million m³ = 100 crore litres. 2009 and 2013 used the older GEC-97 method.
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Ponds and lakes in Karnal
198 of 200 water bodies (99%) 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 Karnal…
- Ponds200
Source: 1st Census of Water Bodies, Ministry of Jal Shakti (counted in 2018-19, published 2023).
Haryana's own survey of Karnal
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.
1,895ponds, covering 2,917 acres
54other water bodies such as lakes and tanks, covering 35 acres
68,582tube wells for irrigation (27.2 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 Karnal?
In the 2025 Central Ground Water Board assessment, Karnal (Haryana) pumped out 174% of the groundwater that can be safely taken out each year, which puts it in the "over-exploited" category. That is 4 points higher than in 2017.
Is groundwater in Karnal over-exploited?
Yes. Karnal takes out more groundwater than rain and other sources put back, so the water table keeps falling.
How can groundwater be recharged in Karnal?
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 Karnal?
The Haryana Water Resources Atlas 2025 counts 68,582 tube wells used for irrigation in Karnal district (2022-23).
How many ponds and lakes are there in Karnal?
The first Census of Water Bodies counted 200 water bodies in Karnal, including 200 ponds. 198 of them were not in use.