Before you buy or build on a plot in Dehradun, read its kundli: earthquake zone and foundation, groundwater, water quality, rain and the harvesting rule, Vastu for its facing, and the cost of the house. Enter your plot below, or pick your area.
40%groundwater pumped vs safe yield, safe (CGWB 2025)
Design the frame to IS 1893 and detail the steel to IS 13920: stirrups bent to 135°, closer stirrups near every beam and column joint, and column laps in the middle half of the height. It adds only a few percent to the steel.
Stilt parking needs care in this zone: an open ground floor under walled floors is the soft storey that fails first in earthquakes, so the structural engineer must design for it.
For a G+1 house, isolated RCC footings are the usual starting point on firm soil; filled ground, black cotton soil or a high water table call for a raft or piles. A soil test (about ₹15,000 to ₹40,000) settles it before the drawings.
2
Jal Groundwater level and borewell
Favourable
Groundwater is in a safe state here.
Dehradun district pumps out 40% of the groundwater it can safely take each year (CGWB 2025), which CGWB rates safe.
That is up from 28% in 2017.
A borewell is workable, but recharge the roof water so it stays that way as the area builds up.
3
Neer Groundwater quality
Favourable
CGWB's 2023 samples in Dehradun district did not cross the limits for salinity or fluoride.
District samples are not your borewell: test the water on your plot before you drink it untreated.
4
Varsha Rain, rainwater harvesting and recharge
Act on it
Rainwater harvesting is mandatory for this house under Uttarakhand's rule.
Uttarakhand Government Order of 15 Nov 2003; development authority building bye-laws (e.g. MDDA) covers houses in Uttarakhand, but the sources give no size limit.
Dehradun gets about 1,411 mm of rain a year (NASA POWER, 2006 to 2025), 82% of it from June to September. A 1,170 sq ft roof can send about 1,30,365 litres a year back into the ground.
That needs one recharge pit with a 120 ft recharge bore, costing about ₹1.1 lakh to ₹1.7 lakh with GST.
By Vastu, underground water belongs in the north-east, which is where the recharge pit or sump usually goes.
5
Vastu Facing and layout
Favourable
North-facing plot. North-facing plots are among the most sought after in Vastu, linked with wealth and growth.
Main door: in the middle-to-east part of the north wall (padas N3 to N5).
Kitchen in the south-east (or north-west), cooking facing east. Master bedroom in the south-west. Pooja room in the north-east.
Stairs in the south, west or south-west, climbing clockwise. Toilets in the west or north-west, never in the north-east or the centre.
Overhead tank over the south-west; borewell, sump and recharge pit in the north-east; septic tank in the north-west. Keep the centre of the house (brahmasthan) open and uncluttered.
6
Nirman Construction cost and approvals
Favourable
About ₹56 lakh to ₹62 lakh for a G+1 house of 2,340 sq ft, finished to a standard specification.
Taken at 65% ground coverage: 1,170 sq ft a floor on a 1,800 sq ft (200 gaj) plot. Your local bye-laws set the real coverage, setbacks and height for the plot size.
Structure only: ₹40 lakh to ₹44 lakh. Premium finishes: ₹70 lakh to ₹82 lakh and up. Rates are per sq ft of built-up area with GST, from our own priced BOQ.
Not included: approval fees, a basement, boundary wall, lift, solar, borewell and interiors.
Before work starts: building plan approval with architectural and structural drawings, then the occupation certificate at the end, which in most states needs the rainwater harvesting pits built.
Groundwater, water quality and rain figures are for Dehradun district as a whole: the government does not publish them by sector or locality. Vastu notes are traditional guidance, and the foundation and cost lines are starting points. A site visit, a soil test and a water test on your plot give the exact picture.
Plot Kundli by area in Dehradun
Each area page opens the kundli for that locality.
Yes, with the right design. Dehradun is in seismic zone IV: high damage risk. Groundwater is in a safe state here. Plot Kundli on this page reads all six: ground and earthquake zone, groundwater, water quality, rain and rainwater harvesting, Vastu and cost.
What is the groundwater level in Dehradun?
Dehradun district pumps out 40% of the groundwater it can safely take each year (CGWB 2025), which CGWB rates safe. That is up from 28% in 2017.
Which earthquake zone is Dehradun in?
Seismic zone IV under IS 1893 (Part 1): 2016. Houses here need the ductile steel detailing of IS 13920 and a structural design that accounts for stilt parking.
Is rainwater harvesting mandatory for a house in Dehradun?
Mandatory; no size limit given in the sources. That needs one recharge pit with a 120 ft recharge bore, costing about ₹1.1 lakh to ₹1.7 lakh with GST.
How much does it cost to build a 200 gaj house in Dehradun?
About ₹56 lakh to ₹62 lakh for a G+1 house of 2,340 sq ft, finished to a standard specification. Structure only: ₹40 lakh to ₹44 lakh. Premium finishes: ₹70 lakh to ₹82 lakh and up. Rates are per sq ft of built-up area with GST, from our own priced BOQ.
What is a Plot Kundli?
A free report on a plot before you buy or build on it, read in six houses like a kundli: Bhoomi (ground, earthquake zone and foundation), Jal (groundwater), Neer (water quality), Varsha (rain and rainwater harvesting), Vastu (facing and layout) and Nirman (cost and approvals). It is built from CGWB, NASA POWER and BIS figures and the state's building rules.