GURGAON: Groundwater levels have continued to decline across several urban and industrial pockets. Among the worst-hit locations was Dundahera, the industrial hub along the Delhi border.Water tables in areas such as Dundahera, Chakkarpur, Kherki Daula and Wazirabad have shown a steady fall over the past five years despite an overall improvement in the district’s average groundwater level.Fresh data — obtained from ground water cell — provides groundwater readings from more than 50 observation wells across Gurgaon, Sohna, Pataudi and Farrukhnagar between June 2020 and June 2025.“District averages often conceal severe local groundwater stress. This well-wise data shows exactly where the aquifers are under the greatest pressure and where interventions should be prioritised,” co-founder and strategic lead at GuruJal Fawzia Tarannum told TOI.Unlike the annual groundwater assessment, which is based on block-wise averages, this data tracks individual monitoring wells, offering a far more granular picture of how groundwater is changing across different parts of the district.A hydrologist from ground water cell said the data is significant because district averages can conceal local groundwater stress. “A good monsoon can improve the overall water table by recharging parts of the district, even as heavily urbanised and industrial areas continue to overdraw groundwater,” he said, adding that the well-wise data helps identify precisely where groundwater depletion persists and where conservation, recharge and regulation efforts need to be intensified.In Dundahera, the groundwater fell from 112.7 metres below ground level in June 2020 to 117.15 metres last year.Chakkarpur, a densely populated urban village near MG Road and DLF Phase I, saw the water table decline from 73.65 metres to 75.25 metres during the same time. Kherki Daula, along the NH8 corridor that has witnessed rapid industrial, warehousing and residential growth, recorded a fall from 43.55 metres to 46.8 metres. Wazirabad, a fast-expanding residential area along Golf Course Extension Road, witnessed the sharpest decline, with groundwater dropping by more than 10 metres over five years, from 39.6 metres to 50.1 metres.The readings come against the backdrop of the fact that the city continues to extract far more groundwater than it can naturally replenish, with withdrawals reaching 194.6% of the permissible limit, according to National Compilation on Dynamic Ground Water Resources of India, 2025, released by Central Ground Water Board (CGWB).Tarannum (GuruJal) said the data underscores why Gurgaon needs neighbourhood-level groundwater planning instead of relying solely on district averages. Areas such as Dundahera, Chakkarpur, Kherki Daula and Wazirrabad should be treated as priority groundwater-stress zones, with stricter monitoring of borewells and groundwater extraction by industries, construction sites and housing societies, said Tarannum.Tarannum also called for making rainwater harvesting systems functional through independent audits, reviving village ponds and old wells, expanding stormwater recharge infrastructure, increasing the use of treated wastewater to reduce groundwater dependence, regulating construction dewatering and placing well-wise groundwater data in the public domain through an online dashboard to improve accountability.The findings add an important layer to TOI’s report published last year, which showed that Gurgaon’s average pre-monsoon groundwater level improved for the third consecutive year, aided largely by successive years of above-normal monsoon rainfall.The apparent contrast stems from the datasets being different. While the earlier assessment reflected district-wide averages, this data captures readings from individual observation wells. In other words, a favourable monsoon has improved the overall average, but several densely built-up neighbourhoods continue to witness groundwater depletion because extraction remains high.This shows that in certain areas recharge efforts appear to be making a difference. The rainwater harvesting monitoring well at Sector 4 improved from 11.9 metres below ground level in 2020 to 7.7 metres last year, while the recharge structure at Sadhrana recorded an improvement from 21.3 metres to 18.6 metres during the same period. Gurgaon city’s central monitoring well also showed groundwater improving from 48.7 metres in 2020 to 46.8 metres in 2025.Outside Gurgaon block, the trend remained mixed. In Pataudi, villages such as Sidhrawali, Pataudi and Bilaspur recorded groundwater recovery, while Panchgaon and Gudhana continued to see declining water levels. Farrukhnagar witnessed improvements in areas such as Sultanpur and Farrukhnagar town, but Basunda, Dhana and Jamalpur continued to record depletion. In Sohna block too, locations including Bhondsi, Damdama and Badshahpur showed declining groundwater levels, while Ghangola, Abheypur, Neemoth and Tikli registered improvement.
