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 Ratlam
133%Over-exploited
This area pumps out more water than 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 7 points since 2017.
1.1 billion m³pumped out each year (2025)
801 million m³can be taken out safely each year
266 million m³yearly shortfall drawn from stored water
96%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 | 126.0% | 838 million m³ | 666 million m³ | Over-exploited | First assessment in this series. |
| 2013 | 127.0% | 983 million m³ | 772 million m³ | Over-exploited | Pumping up 17% (838 → 983 million m³). Safe limit up 16% (666 → 772 million m³). |
| 2017 | 126.6% | 1.0 billion m³ | 809 million m³ | Over-exploited | Pumping up 4% (1.0 → 1.0 billion m³). Safe limit up 5% (772 → 809 million m³). CGWB changed its method in 2017 (GEC-97 to GEC-2015), so part of this change comes from the new method. |
| 2020 | 141.2% | 1.1 billion m³ | 763 million m³ | Over-exploited | Pumping up 5% (1.0 → 1.1 billion m³). Safe limit down 6% (809 → 763 million m³). Main reason: less water soaked back in, from weaker rain, less canal seepage or more paved ground. |
| 2022 | 136.4% | 1.0 billion m³ | 761 million m³ | Over-exploited | Pumping down 4% (1.1 → 1.0 billion m³). Safe limit down 0% (763 → 761 million m³). Main reason: less water was pumped out, mostly for irrigation (1.0 → 1.0 billion m³). |
| 2023 | 135.1% | 1.0 billion m³ | 769 million m³ | Over-exploited | Pumping up 0% (1.0 → 1.0 billion m³). Safe limit up 1% (761 → 769 million m³). |
| 2024 | 134.0% | 1.1 billion m³ | 789 million m³ | Over-exploited | Pumping up 2% (1.0 → 1.1 billion m³). Safe limit up 3% (769 → 789 million m³). |
| 2025 | 133.2% | 1.1 billion m³ | 801 million m³ | Over-exploited | Pumping up 1% (1.1 → 1.1 billion m³). Safe limit up 2% (789 → 801 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 Ratlam
950 of 1,546 water bodies (61%) 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 Ratlam…
- Ponds1,534
- Tanks3
- Check dams and percolation tanks7
- Others2
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 Ratlam?
In the 2025 Central Ground Water Board assessment, Ratlam (Madhya Pradesh) pumped out 133% of the groundwater that can be safely taken out each year, which puts it in the "over-exploited" category. That is 7 points higher than in 2017.
Is groundwater in Ratlam over-exploited?
Yes. Ratlam takes out more groundwater than rain and other sources put back, so the water table keeps falling.
How can groundwater be recharged in Ratlam?
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 Ratlam?
The first Census of Water Bodies counted 1,546 water bodies in Ratlam, including 1,534 ponds. 950 of them were not in use.
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