Haryana's 60.48% groundwater over-exploited: Kurukshetra worst, Jhajjar best, says report
Groundwater exploitation in Haryana has reached a critical level of 136%, placing the state among six states and Union Territories where groundwater extraction exceeds the annual recharge. A report by the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) has revealed that Kurukshetra is the worst-affected district, with an extraction rate of 228.42% while Jhajjar has recorded the lowest at 51.01%.
District-wise extraction rates
Kurukshetra: 228.42%
Panipat: 222.11%
Gurugram: 212.77%
Kaithal: 190.24%
Faridabad: 180.89%
Fatehabad: 176.99%
Karnal: 173.85%
Hisar: 88.63%
Panchkula: 62.28%
Rohtak: 51.14%
Jhajjar: 51.01%
Faridabad and Gurugram, the state’s most populated districts, show alarming extraction rates of 180.89% and 212.77%, respectively, nearly double the safe limit. Palwal fared significantly better, with an extraction rate of 94.48%, almost half of Faridabad's rate.
The CGWB report revealed that 60.48% of Haryana’s total area (26,131.63 sq km) is over-exploited, while only 28.4% (12,269.36 sq. km) is categorised as safe. Additionally, 11.12% of the area is classified as critical or semi-critical.
District-wise extraction rates show other alarming figures: Panipat (222.11%), followed by Kaithal (190.24%), Fatehabad (176.99%) and Karnal (173.85%). In contrast, districts like Hisar (88.63%), Panchkula (62.28%) and Rohtak (51.14%) are within safer limits.
"Following the monsoon season, groundwater extraction increases significantly, causing a decline in water tables," the report stated. Haryana’s total annual groundwater recharge is assessed at 10.32 BCM (billion cubic meters), with an extractable resource of 9.36 BCM. The stage of groundwater extraction increased slightly from 135.74% to 135.96% in the past year.
The report also identified five deteriorating units located in Karnal, Ambala, Hisar and Fatehabad while 132 units remained unchanged in 2024.
Vishal Bansal, Chief Engineer of the Faridabad Metro Development Authority (FMDA), said, "A comprehensive plan to increase groundwater recharge and harvesting is underway, including a proposed 100-acre water reservoir in Faridabad."
As Haryana faces mounting challenges, the CGWB’s findings stressed the urgency of sustainable water management to prevent further over-exploitation.
