Elasticsearch index shard size expanding/contracting by more than 75% of size

We run cluster on 5.6.3 , a 45 node cluster with single replica and shard size is around 70 GB . On some occasions shard size is expanding more than 75% of usual size and reaching to 120GB . This is causing diskspace high water mark issues.

  1. shard size expansion/contraction by 75% of size, is this normal for a healthy cluster like 70 GB -> 120 GB -> 75GB ??
  2. ANy specific settings we can enable so size doesn;t differ with this marginal difference
Inde	shard	Replica/primary	STATUS	Normal size  in GB	Expanded size in  GB
inde-name	0	p	STARTED	70.9	116.3
inde-name	0	r	STARTED	75.4	72.4
inde-name	1	p	STARTED	64.5	106.6
inde-name	1	r	STARTED	76	74.4
inde-name	2	p	STARTED	84	104.4
inde-name	2	r	STARTED	62.6	80
inde-name	3	p	STARTED	64.4	117
inde-name	3	r	STARTED	79.8	75.4
inde-name	4	p	STARTED	74.3	99.6
inde-name	4	r	STARTED	58.3	87.2
inde-name	5	r	STARTED	68.1	97.5
inde-name	5	p	STARTED	68.1	92.4
inde-name	6	p	STARTED	60.6	100.3
inde-name	6	r	STARTED	80.4	72.2
inde-name	7	p	STARTED	59.1	107.9
inde-name	7	r	STARTED	69.1	70.7
inde-name	8	p	STARTED	61.6	98.3
inde-name	8	r	STARTED	81.1	69.4
inde-name	9	p	STARTED	74.1	112.5
inde-name	9	r	STARTED	62.2	84.3
inde-name	10	p	STARTED	65.9	114.3
inde-name	10	r	STARTED	77.3	76.3
inde-name	11	r	STARTED	66.9	101.8
inde-name	11	p	STARTED	68.4	80.6
inde-name	12	p	STARTED	63.7	107.9
inde-name	12	r	STARTED	77.8	70
inde-name	13	r	STARTED	65.3	110.8
inde-name	13	p	STARTED	80.4	80
inde-name	14	r	STARTED	65.6	101
inde-name	14	p	STARTED	84.3	76.5
inde-name	15	p	STARTED	69.3	110.6
inde-name	15	r	STARTED	57.8	73
inde-name	16	r	STARTED	67.3	90.4
inde-name	16	p	STARTED	68.5	83.7
inde-name	17	p	STARTED	61.2	87.4
inde-name	17	r	STARTED	69.6	83
inde-name	18	r	STARTED	56.3	105
inde-name	18	p	STARTED	74.1	62.7
inde-name	19	p	STARTED	62.2	103.8
inde-name	19	r	STARTED	78.1	81.5
inde-name	20	r	STARTED	70.7	95.7
inde-name	20	p	STARTED	57.9	86.9
inde-name	21	r	STARTED	61.4	110.9
inde-name	21	p	STARTED	74.4	73.5
inde-name	22	r	STARTED	57.5	97.2
inde-name	22	p	STARTED	69	92
inde-name	23	p	STARTED	62	106.3
inde-name	23	r	STARTED	81.8	77.1
inde-name	24	r	STARTED	66.2	112.2
inde-name	24	p	STARTED	71.6	69.5
inde-name	25	r	STARTED	65.5	108.5
inde-name	25	p	STARTED	68.1	73
inde-name	26	r	STARTED	63.4	104.2
inde-name	26	p	STARTED	56.9	70.6
inde-name	27	r	STARTED	60.1	104.1
inde-name	27	p	STARTED	78.9	75.1
inde-name	28	r	STARTED	62.9	104.5
inde-name	28	p	STARTED	66	87.6
inde-name	29	p	STARTED	64.4	111
inde-name	29	r	STARTED	77.4	76.8
inde-name	30	r	STARTED	71.3	110.8
inde-name	30	p	STARTED	70.3	75.1
inde-name	31	p	STARTED	55.9	89.7
inde-name	31	r	STARTED	66.5	83.9
inde-name	32	p	STARTED	64	94.5
inde-name	32	r	STARTED	68.8	85.1
inde-name	33	r	STARTED	71	109.3
inde-name	33	p	STARTED	80	71.2
inde-name	34	p	STARTED	71	109
inde-name	34	r	STARTED	70	77.3
inde-name	35	r	STARTED	72	108.1
inde-name	35	p	STARTED	65.8	80.2
inde-name	36	p	STARTED	71.7	104.3
inde-name	36	r	STARTED	63.3	72.2
inde-name	37	p	STARTED	64.6	109.6
inde-name	37	r	STARTED	68.1	65.3
inde-name	38	r	STARTED	57.7	109.5
inde-name	38	p	STARTED	89.3	83
inde-name	39	p	STARTED	67.8	100.9
inde-name	39	r	STARTED	70.8	65.6
inde-name	40	r	STARTED	74.5	101.5
inde-name	40	p	STARTED	65.8	70.1
inde-name	41	r	STARTED	61.4	92.7
inde-name	41	p	STARTED	78.8	80.9
inde-name	42	r	STARTED	61	99.7
inde-name	42	p	STARTED	72.2	78
inde-name	43	r	STARTED	70	114
inde-name	43	p	STARTED	73.4	70
inde-name	44	p	STARTED	64	110.6
inde-name	44	r	STARTED	77.2	79.5

5.2 is very much EOL and no longer supported. Please upgrade as a matter of urgency.

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