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 Ladakh
31%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 13 points since 2020.
20.0 million m³pumped out each year (2025)
60.0 million m³can be taken out safely each year
Noneno yearly shortfall
Extraction since 2020
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 17.9% | 20.0 million m³ | 110 million m³ | Safe | First assessment in this series. |
| 2022 | 41.4% | 30.0 million m³ | 70.0 million m³ | Safe | Pumping up 50% (20 → 30 million m³). Safe limit down 36% (110 → 70 million m³). Main reason: less water soaked back in, from weaker rain, less canal seepage or more paved ground. 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. |
| 2023 | 37.0% | 30.0 million m³ | 80.0 million m³ | Safe | Pumping up 0% (30 → 30 million m³). Safe limit up 14% (70 → 80 million m³). Main reason: more water soaked back into the ground, from better rain, canals or recharge structures. |
| 2024 | 30.9% | 20.0 million m³ | 60.0 million m³ | Safe | Pumping down 33% (30 → 20 million m³). Safe limit down 25% (80 → 60 million m³). Main reason: less water was pumped out. 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. |
| 2025 | 30.9% | 20.0 million m³ | 60.0 million m³ | Safe | Pumping up 0% (20 → 20 million m³). Safe limit up 0% (60 → 60 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
Groundwater here is in balance. Keeping it that way means recharging as the area builds up and paves over.
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.
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.
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.
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 Ladakh?
In the 2025 Central Ground Water Board assessment, Ladakh pumped out 31% of the groundwater that can be safely taken out each year, which puts it in the "safe" category. That is 13 points higher than in 2020.
Is groundwater in Ladakh over-exploited?
No. At 31% of the safe yield, Ladakh is safe, though recharge is still needed as demand grows.
How can groundwater be recharged in Ladakh?
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.
Districts of Ladakh
Stage of extraction in 2025, most over-pumped first.