State

Groundwater level in West Bengal

Name: Groundwater extraction in West Bengal, 2009–2025
Creator: Central Ground Water Board

45%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 1 points since 2020.

10.6 billion m³pumped out each year (2025)

23.5 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	40.0%	10.9 billion m³	27.6 billion m³	Safe	First assessment in this series.
2013	45.0%	11.8 billion m³	26.6 billion m³	Safe	Pumping up 9% (10.9 → 11.8 billion m³). Safe limit down 4% (27.6 → 26.6 billion m³). Main reason: more water was pumped out.
2020	44.6%	11.8 billion m³	26.6 billion m³	Safe	Pumping up 0% (11.8 → 11.8 billion m³). Safe limit up 0% (26.6 → 26.6 billion m³). CGWB changed its method in 2017 (GEC-97 to GEC-2015), so part of this change comes from the new method.
2022	47.0%	10.1 billion m³	21.4 billion m³	Safe	Pumping down 15% (11.8 → 10.1 billion m³). Safe limit down 19% (26.6 → 21.4 billion m³).
2023	44.8%	10.7 billion m³	23.9 billion m³	Safe	Pumping up 6% (10.1 → 10.7 billion m³). Safe limit up 12% (21.4 → 23.9 billion m³).
2024	45.6%	10.8 billion m³	23.6 billion m³	Safe	Pumping up 0% (10.7 → 10.8 billion m³). Safe limit down 1% (23.9 → 23.6 billion m³).
2025	45.2%	10.6 billion m³	23.5 billion m³	Safe	Pumping down 1% (10.8 → 10.6 billion m³). Safe limit down 0% (23.6 → 23.5 billion m³).

Million m³: 1 million m³ = 100 crore litres. 2009 and 2013 used the older GEC-97 method.

Rainfall, last 20 years

Yearly rain at West Bengal, 2006–2025, from NASA satellite data. Lighter bars are dry years (20% or more below average), when wells are drawn hardest.

Loading 20 years of rainfall…

Ponds and lakes in West Bengal

48,536 of 7,47,480 water bodies (6%) are not in use: dried up, silted, built over or polluted. Bringing them back is one of the cheapest ways to recharge groundwater.

7,47,480ponds, tanks, lakes and other water bodies

4,57,274of them are ponds (61%)

94%still in use (6,98,944)

0encroached upon

Ponds4,57,274
Tanks7,585
Lakes1,349
Reservoirs2,80,585
Check dams and percolation tanks610
Others77

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

All about the ponds and lakes in West Bengal, 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 West Bengal?

In the 2025 Central Ground Water Board assessment, West Bengal pumped out 45% of the groundwater that can be safely taken out each year, which puts it in the "safe" category. That is 1 points higher than in 2020.

Is groundwater in West Bengal over-exploited?

No. At 45% of the safe yield, West Bengal is safe, though recharge is still needed as demand grows.

How can groundwater be recharged in West Bengal?

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 West Bengal?

The first Census of Water Bodies counted 7,47,480 water bodies in West Bengal, including 4,57,274 ponds. 48,536 of them were not in use.

Districts of West Bengal

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