Regional reference
Water quality across India, city by city
Indicative TDS range, dominant supply source and hardness class for 207 Indian cities — each with the specific laboratory tests worth paying for locally, and an explicit statement of what a city-level figure cannot tell you about your own tap.
Important
These are planning ranges, not measurements. Every figure here is an indicative city-level band compiled from publicly reported patterns. Within-city variation genuinely exceeds the ranges shown — two borewells a hundred metres apart at different depths can differ by an order of magnitude. Use these pages to decide which tests to pay for, not to decide what is in your water. We have deliberately not invented precise figures we cannot stand behind.
Water quality data in India is patchy, scattered across state boards and central agencies, and rarely published at a resolution that helps a household. The gap that leaves gets filled by purifier salespeople with TDS meters, which is how most Indian water treatment decisions actually get made.
This reference does not claim to close that gap with precision it does not have. What it does is state, city by city, what kind of supply you are probably on, roughly what band your dissolved solids are likely to sit in, whether hardness is likely to be a problem — and then use those to work out which specific laboratory tests are worth the money where you live.
That last step is the useful one. A city-level TDS band cannot tell you whether your water is safe. It can tell you that you are in a district where arsenic occurrence is documented, that your supply is groundwater, and that a ₹600 arsenic test therefore belongs on your list — which is a genuinely actionable conclusion from an inexact input.
How to read these pages
| What is shown | What it is | What it is not |
|---|---|---|
| TDS range | An indicative band for the city, compiled from published patterns | A measurement of your tap, or a safety assessment of any kind |
| Dominant source | The supply type most households in the city are on | A statement about your building, which may be on tankers or a borewell regardless |
| Hardness class | The general character of local supply | A figure you can size a softener from — that needs a measured mg/L result |
| Recommended tests | The parameters worth paying for given local source and geology | A prediction that any of them will be found |
Jump to a state
- Andaman and Nicobar Islands (1)
- Andhra Pradesh (9)
- Assam (4)
- Bihar (5)
- Chandigarh (1)
- Chhattisgarh (4)
- Delhi (1)
- Goa (1)
- Gujarat (9)
- Haryana (8)
- Himachal Pradesh (1)
- Jammu and Kashmir (2)
- Jharkhand (4)
- Karnataka (13)
- Kerala (7)
- Madhya Pradesh (9)
- Maharashtra (27)
- Manipur (1)
- Meghalaya (1)
- Mizoram (1)
- Odisha (5)
- Puducherry (1)
- Punjab (6)
- Rajasthan (19)
- Sikkim (1)
- Tamil Nadu (14)
- Telangana (6)
- Tripura (1)
- Uttar Pradesh (35)
- Uttarakhand (4)
- West Bengal (6)
Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Andhra Pradesh
- Visakhapatnam350–900 ppm · hardCoastal groundwater subject to salinity ingress.
- Vijayawada350–850 ppm · hardPiped municipal supply blended with borewell water.
- Guntur450–1100 ppm · hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Nellore450–1200 ppm · hardCoastal groundwater subject to salinity ingress.
- Kurnool500–1300 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Tirupati400–1000 ppm · hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Rajahmundry350–900 ppm · hardPiped municipal supply blended with borewell water.
- Anantapur600–1600 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Nandyal550–1400 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
Assam
Bihar
- Patna300–700 ppm · moderatePiped municipal supply blended with borewell water.
- Gaya300–800 ppm · hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Muzaffarpur300–800 ppm · moderatePredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Bhagalpur300–800 ppm · moderatePredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Darbhanga300–800 ppm · moderatePredominantly groundwater from borewells.
Chandigarh
Chhattisgarh
Delhi
Goa
Gujarat
- Ahmedabad400–1000 ppm · very hardPiped municipal supply blended with borewell water.
- Surat350–900 ppm · hardPiped municipal supply blended with borewell water.
- Vadodara400–1000 ppm · very hardPiped municipal supply blended with borewell water.
- Rajkot500–1300 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Bhavnagar600–1600 ppm · very hardCoastal groundwater subject to salinity ingress.
- Jamnagar600–1600 ppm · very hardCoastal groundwater subject to salinity ingress.
- Junagadh550–1400 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Gandhinagar400–1000 ppm · very hardPiped municipal supply blended with borewell water.
- Anand500–1300 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
Haryana
- Faridabad450–1200 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Gurugram500–1500 ppm · very hardSubstantially tanker-fed.
- Panipat500–1400 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Karnal450–1200 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Hisar600–1600 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Rohtak550–1500 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Sonipat500–1400 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Yamunanagar400–1000 ppm · hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
Himachal Pradesh
Jammu and Kashmir
Jharkhand
- Dhanbad250–700 ppm · moderatePiped municipal supply blended with borewell water.
- Ranchi200–550 ppm · moderatePiped municipal supply blended with borewell water.
- Jamshedpur200–550 ppm · moderatePiped municipal supply drawn from rivers.
- Bokaro250–700 ppm · moderatePiped municipal supply blended with borewell water.
Karnataka
- Bengaluru250–750 ppm · hardPiped municipal supply blended with borewell water.
- Hubballi-Dharwad400–1000 ppm · hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Mysuru200–500 ppm · moderatePiped municipal supply drawn from rivers.
- Mangaluru150–450 ppm · softCoastal groundwater subject to salinity ingress.
- Belagavi300–800 ppm · hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Kalaburagi500–1300 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Davanagere400–1000 ppm · hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Ballari500–1300 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Shivamogga250–650 ppm · moderatePiped municipal supply drawn from rivers.
- Tumakuru450–1200 ppm · hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Bidar500–1300 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Mandya300–800 ppm · moderatePiped municipal supply drawn from rivers.
- Hassan300–800 ppm · moderatePredominantly groundwater from borewells.
Kerala
- Thiruvananthapuram100–350 ppm · softPiped municipal supply drawn from rivers.
- Kochi100–400 ppm · softCoastal groundwater subject to salinity ingress.
- Kozhikode100–380 ppm · softCoastal groundwater subject to salinity ingress.
- Kollam100–400 ppm · softCoastal groundwater subject to salinity ingress.
- Thrissur100–380 ppm · softPiped municipal supply drawn from rivers.
- Alappuzha100–400 ppm · softCoastal groundwater subject to salinity ingress.
- Palakkad120–400 ppm · softPiped municipal supply drawn from rivers.
Madhya Pradesh
- Indore400–900 ppm · very hardPiped municipal supply blended with borewell water.
- Bhopal300–800 ppm · hardPiped municipal supply blended with borewell water.
- Jabalpur300–750 ppm · hardPiped municipal supply blended with borewell water.
- Gwalior450–1100 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Ujjain400–1000 ppm · very hardPiped municipal supply blended with borewell water.
- Sagar350–900 ppm · hardPiped municipal supply blended with borewell water.
- Satna400–1000 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Rewa400–1000 ppm · hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Ratlam450–1200 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
Maharashtra
- Mumbai180–420 ppm · moderatePiped municipal supply drawn from rivers.
- Pune200–600 ppm · moderatePiped municipal supply blended with borewell water.
- Nagpur300–750 ppm · hardPiped municipal supply blended with borewell water.
- Thane200–500 ppm · moderatePiped municipal supply drawn from rivers.
- Nashik250–600 ppm · moderatePiped municipal supply drawn from rivers.
- Aurangabad350–900 ppm · hardPiped municipal supply blended with borewell water.
- Navi Mumbai180–450 ppm · moderatePiped municipal supply drawn from rivers.
- Vasai-Virar250–700 ppm · moderatePiped municipal supply blended with borewell water.
- Solapur500–1300 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Mira-Bhayandar250–650 ppm · moderatePiped municipal supply blended with borewell water.
- Amravati400–1000 ppm · hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Kolhapur250–650 ppm · moderatePiped municipal supply drawn from rivers.
- Nanded400–1000 ppm · hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Sangli300–750 ppm · moderatePiped municipal supply drawn from rivers.
- Jalgaon450–1200 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Akola450–1200 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Chandrapur400–1000 ppm · hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Latur500–1300 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Parbhani500–1300 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Panvel250–700 ppm · moderatePiped municipal supply blended with borewell water.
- Satara250–650 ppm · moderatePiped municipal supply drawn from rivers.
- Yavatmal450–1200 ppm · hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Bhusawal450–1200 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Osmanabad500–1300 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Wardha400–1000 ppm · hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Nandurbar400–1000 ppm · hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Ratnagiri200–550 ppm · moderateCoastal groundwater subject to salinity ingress.
Manipur
Meghalaya
Mizoram
Odisha
- Bhubaneswar200–550 ppm · moderatePiped municipal supply blended with borewell water.
- Cuttack200–550 ppm · moderatePiped municipal supply blended with borewell water.
- Rourkela200–600 ppm · moderatePiped municipal supply blended with borewell water.
- Berhampur250–700 ppm · moderateCoastal groundwater subject to salinity ingress.
- Sambalpur200–600 ppm · moderatePiped municipal supply blended with borewell water.
Puducherry
Punjab
- Ludhiana400–1000 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Amritsar400–1000 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Jalandhar400–1000 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Patiala400–1000 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Bathinda600–1700 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Pathankot250–650 ppm · moderatePiped municipal supply drawn from rivers.
Rajasthan
- Jaipur500–1400 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Jodhpur600–1800 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Kota400–1000 ppm · very hardPiped municipal supply blended with borewell water.
- Bikaner700–2000 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Ajmer500–1400 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Udaipur400–1100 ppm · very hardPiped municipal supply blended with borewell water.
- Alwar600–1600 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Bhilwara500–1400 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Sikar700–1800 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Sri Ganganagar500–1400 ppm · very hardPiped municipal supply blended with borewell water.
- Bharatpur600–1600 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Pali700–1900 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Nagaur800–2000 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Barmer900–2200 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Tonk600–1600 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Hanumangarh600–1600 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Bhiwadi600–1600 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Chittorgarh500–1300 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Churu800–2000 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
Sikkim
Tamil Nadu
- Chennai400–1200 ppm · very hardCoastal groundwater subject to salinity ingress.
- Coimbatore350–900 ppm · hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Madurai400–1000 ppm · hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Tiruchirappalli350–900 ppm · hardPiped municipal supply blended with borewell water.
- Salem400–1000 ppm · hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Tirunelveli400–1100 ppm · hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Erode400–1100 ppm · hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Tiruppur500–1300 ppm · hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Vellore450–1200 ppm · hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Thoothukudi700–1800 ppm · very hardCoastal groundwater subject to salinity ingress.
- Hosur400–1000 ppm · hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Dindigul450–1200 ppm · hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Nagercoil350–900 ppm · hardCoastal groundwater subject to salinity ingress.
- Karur450–1200 ppm · hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
Telangana
- Hyderabad300–800 ppm · hardPiped municipal supply blended with borewell water.
- Warangal400–1000 ppm · hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Nizamabad450–1200 ppm · hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Karimnagar450–1200 ppm · hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Khammam450–1200 ppm · hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Ramagundam400–1000 ppm · hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
Tripura
Uttar Pradesh
- Lucknow350–850 ppm · hardPiped municipal supply blended with borewell water.
- Kanpur400–1000 ppm · hardPiped municipal supply blended with borewell water.
- Ghaziabad450–1100 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Agra600–1600 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Meerut500–1200 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Varanasi350–850 ppm · hardPiped municipal supply blended with borewell water.
- Prayagraj350–900 ppm · hardPiped municipal supply blended with borewell water.
- Bareilly400–950 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Aligarh500–1300 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Moradabad450–1200 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Noida450–1300 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Gorakhpur350–900 ppm · hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Saharanpur400–1000 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Jhansi450–1200 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Muzaffarnagar500–1300 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Mathura600–1500 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Shahjahanpur400–1000 ppm · hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Rampur400–1000 ppm · hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Firozabad600–1500 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Mirzapur350–900 ppm · hardPiped municipal supply blended with borewell water.
- Ayodhya350–900 ppm · hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Jaunpur350–900 ppm · hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Hapur500–1300 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Azamgarh350–900 ppm · hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Unnao400–1100 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Bulandshahr500–1300 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Etawah450–1200 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Sitapur400–1000 ppm · hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Bahraich350–900 ppm · hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Fatehpur400–1000 ppm · hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Baghpat500–1300 ppm · very hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Deoria350–900 ppm · hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Basti350–900 ppm · hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Ghazipur350–900 ppm · hardPredominantly groundwater from borewells.
- Ballia350–900 ppm · moderatePredominantly groundwater from borewells.
Uttarakhand
West Bengal
- Kolkata200–550 ppm · moderatePiped municipal supply blended with borewell water.
- Siliguri150–450 ppm · moderatePiped municipal supply blended with borewell water.
- Durgapur200–550 ppm · moderatePiped municipal supply drawn from rivers.
- Asansol200–600 ppm · moderatePiped municipal supply blended with borewell water.
- Bardhaman200–600 ppm · moderatePiped municipal supply blended with borewell water.
- Kharagpur200–600 ppm · moderatePredominantly groundwater from borewells.
Hardness, and what it means practically
| Class | What you will notice | The equipment that addresses it |
|---|---|---|
| soft | Little scale, good lather. Very soft water is slightly more aggressive towards metal fittings. | Nothing required |
| moderate | Some scale over time, no significant practical complaints for most households. | Nothing required |
| hard | Visible scale on kettles and geysers within months, and noticeably more soap needed. A whole-house softener is worth costing out if scale is the complaint. | Whole-house ion exchange softener on the inlet, sized to a measured mg/L figure |
| very hard | Rapid scale build-up, poor lather and shortened heating element life. This is a whole-house problem that a drinking-water purifier cannot address. | Whole-house ion exchange softener on the inlet, sized to a measured mg/L figure |
Hardness is a whole-house problem. It damages geysers, washing machines and bathroom surfaces that are not fed from your drinking-water tap, so a point-of-use purifier cannot address it however good it is. This is the single most common equipment mismatch in Indian water treatment.
Frequently asked questions
How accurate are these city water quality figures?
They are indicative planning ranges compiled from publicly reported patterns, not measurements. Within-city variation genuinely exceeds the range shown — two borewells a hundred metres apart at different depths can differ by an order of magnitude. Use these pages to decide which tests are worth paying for, not to decide what is in your water.
Which Indian cities have the hardest water?
Groundwater-dependent cities across Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana, Telangana and the outer belts of Bengaluru and Hyderabad generally run hardest, because arid-region and carbonate-aquifer groundwater carries more calcium and magnesium. Cities on surface-water supply — Mumbai on its lake system, for instance — are typically much softer.
Why does TDS vary so much within one city?
Because most large Indian cities run on mixed supply. A core ward on piped surface water and an outer ward on borewells are drawing from completely different sources, and borewell chemistry varies with depth and season on top of that. A city-level figure is an average across a distribution that is often several hundred ppm wide.
Do I need to test my water if my city's figures look fine?
Yes, for two reasons. The city figure describes a range, not your tap — and more importantly, TDS says nothing about safety. Arsenic, lead, nitrate, fluoride and every pathogen are invisible to the measurement that produced these ranges.
Where does this data come from?
City-level bands are an editorial compilation from publicly reported CPCB and CGWB-style patterns and known local supply arrangements, reviewed annually. Limits are from BIS IS 10500:2012. Every page states this and every figure is labelled as an estimate rather than a measurement.
Sources
Every limit and standard quoted on this page comes from one of the documents below. Where a figure is not in one of these, we have not published it.
IS 10500:2012 Drinking Water — Specification (Second Revision)
Bureau of Indian Standards · published 2012-05-01 · checked 2026-08-01
The limits every figure on these pages is compared against.
Ground Water Quality in Shallow Aquifers — annual and state reports
Central Ground Water Board, Ministry of Jal Shakti · checked 2026-08-01
District-level groundwater quality reporting. Coverage and sampling year vary by state — check the report date for your own district rather than assuming a national figure applies.
City-level indicative supply characteristics
BestPurifier editorial compilation · checked 2026-08-01
TDS bands, dominant source and hardness class per city, compiled from publicly reported patterns and local supply arrangements. These are PLANNING RANGES, not measurements, and within-city variation exceeds the range shown. Reviewed annually.
Reviewed annually; last reviewed 2026-08-08. If you hold a laboratory result that materially disagrees with a range shown here, send it to us. Enough real results and these pages can be republished from measurements with a stated sample size instead of estimated bands — which is the version we would rather publish.