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 Sirsa
160%Over-exploited
This area pumps out 1.6 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. Down 38 points since 2017.
972 million m³pumped out each year (2025)
609 million m³can be taken out safely each year
364 million m³yearly shortfall drawn from stored water
97%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 | 154.0% | 1.2 billion m³ | 755 million m³ | Over-exploited | First assessment in this series. |
| 2013 | 175.0% | 1.1 billion m³ | 637 million m³ | Over-exploited | Pumping down 4% (1.2 → 1.1 billion m³). Safe limit down 16% (755 → 637 million m³). Main reason: less water soaked back in, from weaker rain, less canal seepage or more paved ground. |
| 2017 | 197.6% | 1.3 billion m³ | 652 million m³ | Over-exploited | Pumping up 15% (1.1 → 1.3 billion m³). Safe limit up 2% (637 → 652 million m³). Main reason: more water was pumped out, mostly for irrigation (1.1 → 1.3 billion m³). CGWB changed its method in 2017 (GEC-97 to GEC-2015), so part of this change comes from the new method. |
| 2020 | 149.6% | 819 million m³ | 548 million m³ | Over-exploited | Pumping down 36% (1.3 → 0.8 billion m³). Safe limit down 16% (652 → 548 million m³). Main reason: less water was pumped out, mostly for irrigation (1.3 → 0.8 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. |
| 2022 | 153.0% | 874 million m³ | 571 million m³ | Over-exploited | Pumping up 7% (819 → 874 million m³). Safe limit up 4% (548 → 571 million m³). Main reason: more water was pumped out, mostly for irrigation (799 → 848 million m³). |
| 2023 | 148.5% | 832 million m³ | 560 million m³ | Over-exploited | Pumping down 5% (874 → 832 million m³). Safe limit down 2% (571 → 560 million m³). Main reason: less water was pumped out, mostly for irrigation (848 → 805 million m³). |
| 2024 | 152.6% | 863 million m³ | 566 million m³ | Over-exploited | Pumping up 4% (832 → 863 million m³). Safe limit up 1% (560 → 566 million m³). Main reason: more water was pumped out, mostly for irrigation (805 → 846 million m³). |
| 2025 | 159.7% | 972 million m³ | 609 million m³ | Over-exploited | Pumping up 13% (863 → 972 million m³). Safe limit up 8% (566 → 609 million m³). Main reason: more water was pumped out, mostly for irrigation (846 → 946 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 Sirsa
194 of 1,260 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 Sirsa…
- Ponds919
- Tanks290
- Lakes8
- Reservoirs34
- Check dams and percolation tanks2
- Others7
Source: 1st Census of Water Bodies, Ministry of Jal Shakti (counted in 2018-19, published 2023).
Haryana's own survey of Sirsa
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.
1,566ponds, covering 1,503 acres
1,772other water bodies such as lakes and tanks, covering 1,645 acres
70,014tube wells for irrigation (16.4 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 Sirsa?
In the 2025 Central Ground Water Board assessment, Sirsa (Haryana) pumped out 160% of the groundwater that can be safely taken out each year, which puts it in the "over-exploited" category. That is 38 points lower than in 2017.
Is groundwater in Sirsa over-exploited?
Yes. Sirsa takes out more groundwater than rain and other sources put back, so the water table keeps falling.
How can groundwater be recharged in Sirsa?
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 Sirsa?
The Haryana Water Resources Atlas 2025 counts 70,014 tube wells used for irrigation in Sirsa district (2022-23).
How many ponds and lakes are there in Sirsa?
The first Census of Water Bodies counted 1,260 water bodies in Sirsa, including 919 ponds. 194 of them were not in use.