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 Katihar
43%Safe
Groundwater use is within safe limits 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 21 points since 2017.
468 million m³pumped out each year (2025)
1.1 billion m³can be taken out safely each year
Noneno yearly shortfall
77%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 | 54.0% | 470 million m³ | 869 million m³ | Safe | First assessment in this series. |
| 2013 | 60.0% | 599 million m³ | 998 million m³ | Safe | Pumping up 27% (470 → 599 million m³). Safe limit up 15% (869 → 998 million m³). Main reason: more water was pumped out, mostly for irrigation (429 → 523 million m³). |
| 2017 | 63.7% | 638 million m³ | 1.0 billion m³ | Safe | Pumping up 7% (599 → 638 million m³). Safe limit up 0% (1.0 → 1.0 billion m³). Main reason: more water was pumped out, mostly for irrigation (523 → 556 million m³). CGWB changed its method in 2017 (GEC-97 to GEC-2015), so part of this change comes from the new method. |
| 2020 | 57.7% | 649 million m³ | 1.1 billion m³ | Safe | Pumping up 2% (638 → 649 million m³). Safe limit up 12% (1.0 → 1.1 billion m³). Main reason: more water soaked back into the ground, from better rain, canals or recharge structures. |
| 2022 | 52.5% | 602 million m³ | 1.1 billion m³ | Safe | Pumping down 7% (649 → 602 million m³). Safe limit up 2% (1.1 → 1.1 billion m³). Main reason: less water was pumped out, mostly for irrigation (556 → 517 million m³). |
| 2023 | 53.2% | 609 million m³ | 1.1 billion m³ | Safe | Pumping up 1% (602 → 609 million m³). Safe limit down 0% (1.1 → 1.1 billion m³). |
| 2024 | 42.5% | 473 million m³ | 1.1 billion m³ | Safe | Pumping down 22% (609 → 473 million m³). Safe limit down 3% (1.1 → 1.1 billion m³). Main reason: less water was pumped out, mostly for irrigation (514 → 367 million m³). |
| 2025 | 42.8% | 468 million m³ | 1.1 billion m³ | Safe | Pumping down 1% (473 → 468 million m³). Safe limit down 2% (1.1 → 1.1 billion 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 Katihar
964 of 965 water bodies (100%) 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 Katihar…
- Ponds415
- Tanks333
- Lakes192
- Reservoirs25
Source: 1st Census of Water Bodies, Ministry of Jal Shakti (counted in 2018-19, published 2023).
What will fix it here
Groundwater here is in balance. Keeping it that way means recharging as the area builds up and paves over.
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.
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.
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 Katihar?
In the 2025 Central Ground Water Board assessment, Katihar (Bihar) pumped out 43% of the groundwater that can be safely taken out each year, which puts it in the "safe" category. That is 21 points lower than in 2017.
Is groundwater in Katihar over-exploited?
No. At 43% of the safe yield, Katihar is safe, though recharge is still needed as demand grows.
How can groundwater be recharged in Katihar?
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 Katihar?
The first Census of Water Bodies counted 965 water bodies in Katihar, including 415 ponds. 964 of them were not in use.
Other districts in Bihar
Jehanabad82%Nalanda76%Samastipur68%Begusarai68%Muzaffarpur65%Vaishali64%Khagaria63%Patna61%Sheikhpura59%Darbhanga58%Gopalganj57%Gaya56%Sheohar55%Siwan54%Arwal52%Bhojpur50%Nawada50%Buxar47%Bhagalpur47%Sitamarhi47%Madhubani46%Kaimur44%Banka43%Saran42%Jamui42%Purnea38%Madhepura38%Saharsa37%Munger37%Kishanganj35%Aurangabad34%Supaul33%Lakhisarai32%West Champaran32%Rohtas30%Araria21%