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 Malappuram
68%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. Up 1 points since 2017.
291 million m³pumped out each year (2025)
430 million m³can be taken out safely each year
Noneno yearly shortfall
36%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 | 58.0% | 280 million m³ | 484 million m³ | Safe | First assessment in this series. |
| 2013 | 58.0% | 302 million m³ | 517 million m³ | Safe | Pumping up 8% (280 → 302 million m³). Safe limit up 7% (484 → 517 million m³). |
| 2017 | 67.2% | 316 million m³ | 471 million m³ | Safe | Pumping up 5% (302 → 316 million m³). Safe limit down 9% (517 → 471 million m³). Main reason: less water soaked back in, from weaker rain, less canal seepage or more paved ground. CGWB changed its method in 2017 (GEC-97 to GEC-2015), so part of this change comes from the new method. |
| 2020 | 67.8% | 323 million m³ | 476 million m³ | Safe | Pumping up 2% (316 → 323 million m³). Safe limit up 1% (471 → 476 million m³). |
| 2022 | 69.6% | 336 million m³ | 483 million m³ | Safe | Pumping up 4% (323 → 336 million m³). Safe limit up 1% (476 → 483 million m³). |
| 2023 | 71.5% | 347 million m³ | 484 million m³ | Semi-critical | Pumping up 3% (336 → 347 million m³). Safe limit up 0% (483 → 484 million m³). |
| 2024 | 73.2% | 348 million m³ | 476 million m³ | Semi-critical | Pumping up 0% (347 → 348 million m³). Safe limit down 2% (484 → 476 million m³). |
| 2025 | 67.7% | 291 million m³ | 430 million m³ | Safe | Pumping down 16% (348 → 291 million m³). Safe limit down 10% (476 → 430 million m³). Main reason: less water was pumped out, mostly for homes and industry (256 → 187 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 Malappuram
903 of 5,983 water bodies (15%) 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 Malappuram…
- Ponds5,185
- Tanks78
- Reservoirs1
- Check dams and percolation tanks697
- Others22
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.
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 Malappuram?
In the 2025 Central Ground Water Board assessment, Malappuram (Kerala) pumped out 68% of the groundwater that can be safely taken out each year, which puts it in the "safe" category. That is 1 points higher than in 2017.
Is groundwater in Malappuram over-exploited?
No. At 68% of the safe yield, Malappuram is safe, though recharge is still needed as demand grows.
How can groundwater be recharged in Malappuram?
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 Malappuram?
The first Census of Water Bodies counted 5,983 water bodies in Malappuram, including 5,185 ponds. 903 of them were not in use.