Prepare for dry days ahead

Marredpally and Sanjeevreddy Nagar in Hyderabad and Bantawaram, Medchal, Maheshwaram, Pargi, Moinabad and Gandeed in Ranga Reddy districts are most critical as water levels dipped considerably in these mandals. According to latest data by the groundwater department, the average depth of the groundwater level has dipped alarmingly. In Bahadurpura and Humayunnagar the water levels are down by more than a metre. The piezometer recording is not encouraging in the other nine mandals in Hyderabad as well.

• 20 per cent deficit rainfall, major reason for dip in groundwater levels
• Groundwater levels fall in 31 out of 37 mandals in Ranga Reddy
• Marredpally and Sanjeevreddy Nagar in Hyderabad most critical

N Raji Reddy, deputy director, groundwater department says, “Overall the annual fall in Ranga Reddy is by -3.31 mt. From June ‘15 to January 2016, the normal rainfall should have been 719.12 mm but only 578.46 mm rainfall was recorded. The drastic fall in water levels can only be attributed to exploitation of groundwater.”

In Chandrayangutta of Bandlaguda mandal, the average depth to groundwater level in February 2015 was 10.70 and the levels dropped to 11.30 as per the latest recording. A senior official of the groundwater department said, “Numbers can also portray a wrong impression. There may not be a dip in groundwater levels but the depth at which one may have to dig for the source is a cause of worry.”

Elucidating his point of view, he says in the case of Marredpally, last February, it was 23.70 and this year it is 23.40. One would imagine that there was actually an increase by a few cms but the source of water is a great depth. In places such as Humayunnagar and Gachibowli the groundwater level is between 3.45 and 6.35 metres.

According to data collected from 37 mandals in the district the most critical have been Bantawaram, Medchal, Maheshwaram, Pargi, Moinabad and Gandeed. The recorded groundwater level in February 2015 in Medchal was 17.14 BGL, it fell to 23.80 (-6.66) this year. Likewise, in Pargi, it was 15.80 as compared to 25.70 (-9.90) in February 2016.

In Gandeed mandal, the levels dropped from 18.65 to 34.00 in a span of 12 months and in Ranga Reddy the levels have fallen in 31 out of the 37 mandals. Sources in the Hyderabad Meteorological Department say that the deficit rainfall has had an effect on groundwater levels and only a normal rainfall in the coming season could redeem the situation.