Telangana groundwater levels fall steeply

As on October 30, the average groundwater level in Nizamabad district was at 17 metres below the ground while it was available at 15.38 metres in May. It is worse in Medak district with average groundwater plummeting to 21.01 meter in October compared to 20.05 meter in May. In Mahbubnagar, the groundwater level in October has been recorded at 13.94 meter while during peak summer, in May, it was at 13.58 metres.

Experts said there is a stress on groundwater not only due to deficit rainfall but also due to abnormal distribution of rainfall pattern like prolonged dry spells and less number of rainy days with more rainfall.“Another main reason for ground water level depletion is over-extraction of groundwater during the Kharif season. As there were long dry spells, the only alternative for farmers was ground water. Ground water was extracted from legitimate and illegal bore wells resulting in further depletion of levels. Of course, deficit rainfall is the main reason,” deputy director of the Ground Water Directorate, Mr K. Dhanunjaya told DC.

“The rainfall should be spread over several days for ground water to be recharged. If it rains heavily and rainy days are few, there will be more run-off of rain water and recharge of ground water would not be up to the expected levels,” a senior official in the groundwater department said. While the water levels in three districts of Telangana is lower in October compared to peak summer i.e. May, the situation is bad in other districts too with ground water levels registering a fall of 0.10 meter to 7.10 meter in October, 2015 when compared to the same period last year.

The alarming ground water level report is being circulated to the districts and the panchayat raj, Rural Water Supply, Irrigation and Municipal Administration departments so that the government can work out an action plan to minimise the water scarcity problem during the coming summer.