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 Vellore
122%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 4 points since 2017.
221 million m³pumped out each year (2025)
182 million m³can be taken out safely each year
39.6 million m³yearly shortfall drawn from stored water
93%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 | 114.0% | – | – | Over-exploited | First assessment in this series. |
| 2013 | 103.0% | 608 million m³ | 590 million m³ | Over-exploited | Down 11 points since 2009. |
| 2017 | 117.8% | – | – | Over-exploited | CGWB changed its method in 2017 (GEC-97 to GEC-2015), so part of this change comes from the new method. |
| 2020 | 130.6% | 252 million m³ | 193 million m³ | Over-exploited | Up 13 points since 2017. |
| 2022 | 115.1% | 223 million m³ | 194 million m³ | Over-exploited | Pumping down 11% (252 → 223 million m³). Safe limit up 1% (193 → 194 million m³). Main reason: less water was pumped out, mostly for homes and industry (32 → 16 million m³). |
| 2023 | 112.5% | 210 million m³ | 186 million m³ | Over-exploited | Pumping down 6% (223 → 210 million m³). Safe limit down 4% (194 → 186 million m³). |
| 2024 | 121.5% | 186 million m³ | 153 million m³ | Over-exploited | Pumping down 11% (210 → 186 million m³). Safe limit down 18% (186 → 153 million m³). Main reason: less water soaked back in, from weaker rain, less canal seepage or more paved ground. |
| 2025 | 121.8% | 221 million m³ | 182 million m³ | Over-exploited | Pumping up 19% (186 → 221 million m³). Safe limit up 18% (153 → 182 million m³). |
Million m³: 1 million m³ = 100 crore litres. 2009 and 2013 used the older GEC-97 method.
Loading 20 years of rainfall…
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 Vellore?
In the 2025 Central Ground Water Board assessment, Vellore (Tamil Nadu) pumped out 122% 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 Vellore over-exploited?
Yes. Vellore takes out more groundwater than rain and other sources put back, so the water table keeps falling.
How can groundwater be recharged in Vellore?
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.
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