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Groundwater level in Chhattisgarh

48%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 4 points since 2017.

6.3 billion m³pumped out each year (2025)
13.1 billion m³can be taken out safely each year
Noneno yearly shortfall

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.

0%50%100%150%100%: over-exploited above this line2009201320172020202220232024202531%48%
Safe · up to 70%Semi-critical · 70–90%Critical · 90–100%Over-exploited · above 100%
Show the numbers
YearStagePumped outSafe limitCategoryWhat changed
200931.0%3.6 billion m³11.6 billion m³SafeFirst assessment in this series.
201337.0%4.4 billion m³11.9 billion m³SafePumping up 22% (3.6 → 4.4 billion m³). Safe limit up 3% (11.6 → 11.9 billion m³). Main reason: more water was pumped out.
201744.4%4.7 billion m³10.6 billion m³SafePumping up 7% (4.4 → 4.7 billion m³). Safe limit down 11% (11.9 → 10.6 billion 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.
202046.3%5.3 billion m³11.6 billion m³SafePumping up 14% (4.7 → 5.3 billion m³). Safe limit up 9% (10.6 → 11.6 billion m³).
202249.6%5.5 billion m³11.0 billion m³SafePumping up 2% (5.3 → 5.5 billion m³). Safe limit down 5% (11.6 → 11.0 billion m³). Main reason: less water soaked back in, from weaker rain, less canal seepage or more paved ground.
202347.2%5.8 billion m³12.2 billion m³SafePumping up 5% (5.5 → 5.8 billion m³). Safe limit up 11% (11.0 → 12.2 billion m³).
202447.3%6.1 billion m³12.9 billion m³SafePumping up 6% (5.8 → 6.1 billion m³). Safe limit up 6% (12.2 → 12.9 billion m³).
202548.2%6.3 billion m³13.1 billion m³SafePumping up 3% (6.1 → 6.3 billion m³). Safe limit up 1% (12.9 → 13.1 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 Chhattisgarh

5,024 of 34,000 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.

34,000ponds, tanks, lakes and other water bodies
32,893of them are ponds (97%)
85%still in use (28,976)
111encroached upon
  • Ponds32,893
  • Tanks311
  • Lakes73
  • Reservoirs269
  • Check dams and percolation tanks237
  • Others217

Source: 1st Census of Water Bodies, Ministry of Jal Shakti (counted in 2018-19, published 2023).

All about the ponds and lakes in Chhattisgarh, district by district

What will fix it here

Groundwater here is in balance. Keeping it that way means recharging as the area builds up and paves over.

Recharge · start here

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 · start here

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.

Recharge

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.

Use less

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

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.

Use less

Meter borewells and fix leaks

Metered and registered borewells, leak repairs in supply lines and water-efficient fixtures cut pumping without anyone going short.

Frequently asked questions

What is the groundwater level in Chhattisgarh?

In the 2025 Central Ground Water Board assessment, Chhattisgarh pumped out 48% of the groundwater that can be safely taken out each year, which puts it in the "safe" category. That is 4 points higher than in 2017.

Is groundwater in Chhattisgarh over-exploited?

No. At 48% of the safe yield, Chhattisgarh is safe, though recharge is still needed as demand grows.

How can groundwater be recharged in Chhattisgarh?

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 Chhattisgarh?

The first Census of Water Bodies counted 34,000 water bodies in Chhattisgarh, including 32,893 ponds. 5,024 of them were not in use.

Districts of Chhattisgarh

Stage of extraction in 2025, most over-pumped first.

  1. 1Bemetara92%
  2. 2Durg76%
  3. 3Dhamtari74%
  4. 4Balod73%
  5. 5Rajnandgaon67%
  6. 6Surajpur64%
  7. 7Khairagarh- Chhuikhadan_Gandai63%
  8. 8Gariaband63%
  9. 9Bilaspur62%
  10. 10Mahasamund60%
  11. 11Raipur60%
  12. 12Kabirdham59%
  13. 13Jashpur52%
  14. 14Surguja50%
  15. 15Korea49%
  16. 16Sakti48%
  17. 17Mungeli46%
  18. 18Kondagaon45%
  19. 19Baloda Bazar44%
  20. 20Raigarh44%
  21. 21Gourela-Pendra-Marwahi41%
  22. 22Sarangarh-Bilairagh40%
  23. 23Kanker39%
  24. 24Bastar39%
  25. 25Mohla- Manpur_Ambagarhchowki38%
  26. 26Korba36%
  27. 27Balrampur29%
  28. 28Janjgir-Champa26%
  29. 29Manendragarh- Chirmiri_Bharatpur21%
  30. 30Dantewada19%
  31. 31Bijapur11%
  32. 32Narayanpur10%
  33. 33Sukma5.7%