Delhi's groundwater levels improve, records show higher recharge than use in 2025

E-PaperSubscribeSubscribeEnjoy unlimited accessSubscribe Now! Get features like Delhi recharged more water than it extracted from the ground in 2025, showing a significant improvement in groundwater extraction with an extraction rate of 92.1%, according to the latest annual Central Groundwater Board (CGWB) report. Delhi sees sharp improvement in groundwater levels. (REPRESENTATIVE IMAGE)The report, dated November 2025 but uploaded recently, shows Delhi extracted 0.32 billion cubic metres (bcm) of groundwater in 2024-25 but was able to recharge 0.38 bcm back. For context, Delhi’s extraction rate was 100.77% in 2023-24, 99.13% in 2022-23, and 98.16% in 2021-22. Groundwater extraction over 100% means more water is being extracted than recharged, while a lower rate indicates groundwater is being left unutilised and more is being recharged. The extraction rate was 101.4% in 2020-21 and an alarming 119.6% in 2017-18. The improvement also reflected across Delhi’s 34 assessment units (tehsils), with 21 classified as either “overexploited” or “critical” in 2024-25 – down from 27 such units in 2023-24. Meanwhile, the number of “safe” units rose from five in 2023-24 to seven in 2024-25. “Out of 34 assessment units, 10 units (29.41%) have been categorised as ‘over-exploited’, 11 units (32.35%) as ‘critical’, 6 units (17.65%) as ‘semi-critical’, and 7 units (20.59%) as ‘safe’,” said according to the latest report. In comparison, in 2024, 14 units (41.18%) were classified as “over-exploited”, 13 units (38.24%) as “critical”, 2 units (5.88%) as “semi-critical”, and 5 units (14.71%) as “safe”. For groundwater readings, “safe” zones are those where the ratio of recharge to extraction is 70%, meaning for every 1 litre of groundwater recharge, 0.7 litres is extracted. This can translate to an increase of up to 2 metres each year. In semi-critical and critical zones, the ratio is 70-90% and 90-100% respectively, indicating limited recharge of 0.5-1 metre each year. In overexploited zones, the ratio exceeds 100%, meaning extraction is greater than recharge and the groundwater table is only going deeper. Of Delhi’s 34 tehsils, 13 were classified as “over-exploited” in 2023 and 15 in 2022. The report further said 0.23 bcm was extracted by the residential sector, with 0.08 bcm extracted for irrigation. Recharge was segregated over monsoon and non-monsoon seasons, with 0.20 bcm recharged during the monsoon alone (June-September), while the remaining 0.18 bcm came in the non-monsoon months. Overall, 0.12 bcm came from rainfall, with the remaining recharge attributed to other sources – including canals, surface water irrigation, groundwater irrigation, tanks, ponds, and water conservation structures such as rainwater harvesting pits. Shashank Shekhar, assistant professor in the department of geology at Delhi University, said the drop in extraction rate is fairly positive and likely due to a combination of factors. “It cannot be attributed to a good monsoon or ample rainfall alone. One requires suitable recharge structures to actually capture the rainfall, considering large parts of the city are also concretised. At the same time, there is a sustained push year-on-year to reduce illegal groundwater extraction by providing proper water connections to households,” Shekhar said, stating this will reflect positively in the years to come, with the groundwater table gradually starting to increase.