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 Uttarakhand
54%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. Down 3 points since 2017.
1.1 billion m³pumped out each year (2025)
1.9 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.
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 | 51.0% | 1.1 billion m³ | 2.1 billion m³ | Safe | First assessment in this series. |
| 2013 | 50.0% | 990 million m³ | 2.0 billion m³ | Safe | Pumping down 6% (1.1 → 1.0 billion m³). Safe limit down 5% (2.1 → 2.0 billion m³). |
| 2017 | 56.8% | 1.6 billion m³ | 2.9 billion m³ | Safe | Pumping up 66% (1.0 → 1.6 billion m³). Safe limit up 47% (2.0 → 2.9 billion m³). Main reason: more 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. CGWB changed its method in 2017 (GEC-97 to GEC-2015), so part of this change comes from the new method. |
| 2020 | 46.8% | 870 million m³ | 1.9 billion m³ | Safe | Pumping down 47% (1.6 → 0.9 billion m³). Safe limit down 36% (2.9 → 1.9 billion 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. |
| 2022 | 48.0% | 890 million m³ | 1.9 billion m³ | Safe | Pumping up 2% (870 → 890 million m³). Safe limit up 1% (1.9 → 1.9 billion m³). |
| 2023 | 51.7% | 950 million m³ | 1.9 billion m³ | Safe | Pumping up 7% (890 → 950 million m³). Safe limit down 1% (1.9 → 1.9 billion m³). Main reason: more water was pumped out. |
| 2024 | 53.5% | 1.1 billion m³ | 2.0 billion m³ | Safe | Pumping up 11% (0.9 → 1.1 billion m³). Safe limit up 6% (1.9 → 2.0 billion m³). |
| 2025 | 53.9% | 1.1 billion m³ | 1.9 billion m³ | Safe | Pumping up 0% (1.1 → 1.1 billion m³). Safe limit down 1% (2.0 → 1.9 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 Uttarakhand
725 of 3,096 water bodies (23%) are not in use: dried up, silted, built over or polluted. Bringing them back is one of the cheapest ways to recharge groundwater.
3,096ponds, tanks, lakes and other water bodies
2,514of them are ponds (81%)
77%still in use (2,371)
5encroached upon
- Ponds2,514
- Tanks461
- Lakes48
- Reservoirs27
- Check dams and percolation tanks41
- Others5
Source: 1st Census of Water Bodies, Ministry of Jal Shakti (counted in 2018-19, published 2023).
All about the ponds and lakes in Uttarakhand, 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 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 Uttarakhand?
In the 2025 Central Ground Water Board assessment, Uttarakhand pumped out 54% of the groundwater that can be safely taken out each year, which puts it in the "safe" category. That is 3 points lower than in 2017.
Is groundwater in Uttarakhand over-exploited?
No. At 54% of the safe yield, Uttarakhand is safe, though recharge is still needed as demand grows.
How can groundwater be recharged in Uttarakhand?
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 Uttarakhand?
The first Census of Water Bodies counted 3,096 water bodies in Uttarakhand, including 2,514 ponds. 725 of them were not in use.
Districts of Uttarakhand
Stage of extraction in 2025, most over-pumped first.