Alarms bells ring as groundwater levels plummet

Alarms bells ring as groundwater levels plummet
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The ever depleting groundwater level in Mahbubnagar has set the alarm bells ringing among people. With more than 35 per cent deficit in rainfall this year, the district is already reeling under severe drought conditions. The deficit rainfall led to crops withering away. People are worried about grim situation looming ahead in summer. “Already, temperatures are soaring at 40 degree Centigrade. 

Mahbubnagar: The ever depleting groundwater level in Mahbubnagar has set the alarm bells ringing among people. With more than 35 per cent deficit in rainfall this year, the district is already reeling under severe drought conditions. The deficit rainfall led to crops withering away. People are worried about grim situation looming ahead in summer. “Already, temperatures are soaring at 40 degree Centigrade.

The borewells are drying up. “We have no option but to migrate to other place because of scarcity of water,” said a farmer Madiga Jangiliah. As per the statistics provided by the district Weather Monitoring Department, this year as against a normal rainfall of 604.60 mm, the district received just 383.30 mm rainfall. In fact this is about 33 per cent deficit of the normal rainfall.

All the major 28 catchment areas have dried up, and the groundwater levels in these regions have gone down as deep as 54 metres in the district. In Rachala village under Kalwakurthy mandal recorded the highest depletion of groundwater to depth of more than 54.80 metres as against the usual level of 25-30 metres in the region.

The major catchment areas are Marchala, Shadnagar, Dharur, Kalwakurthy, Yenugonda, Bijinepally, Veldanda, Lingala, Siddapur, Lingaralm Palli, Rajapur, Talakondaplly, Handwada, Kurumurthy, Bomraspeta, Nagarkurnool, Jadcherla, Uppunutala, Achampeta, Balmoor, Pangal, Munnanoor, Kodangal, Narva, Yelkicharla, Kodair, Gattutummena and Kadtal, etc.

Last month the average groundwater level in the district was recorded 15.27 metres, but it fell to 11.82 metres this month with a steep depletion of 3.96 metres in just a span of 30 days. To overcome the deteriorating situation of groundwater level and to supply drinking water to the people, the government sanctioned Rs 2.99 crore. The Rural water Supply (RWS) Department is taking measures to supply water to 502 villages through tankers and leased bores.

In addition to this, the government is spending crores of rupees for supplying drinking water from major reservoirs like Ramanpad and Koilsagar to the district headquarters. The experts from the geological and ground water resources department are of the view that the situation in summer may become grim.

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