Groundwater: That sinking feeling

The indiscriminate exploitation of groundwater over the years has left the country8217;s most-populous state staring at a drinking water crisis.

The indiscriminate exploitation of groundwater over the years has left the country8217;s most-populous state staring at a drinking water crisis. Hydrologists have predicted that Uttar Pradesh will be left with little or no groundwater for use in the next 15 years if its exploitation is not immediately controlled. That is alarming news in a state where over 70 per cent of the irrigation and drinking needs are met with groundwater.

Out of the 813 development blocks in 70 districts of the state, the State Ground Water Department SGWD has marked over 450 as 8220;seriously affected8221;. Of these, around 100 fall in the category of over-exploited, critical or semi-critical.

According to the SGWD, the water level in urban areas is falling at a rate of 22 cm-56 cm per year. At some places, the decline is as high as around 1.5 m per year. The western part of the state is the most affected, a combination of its tough geographical terrain and the indiscreet use of water pumps there.

The effects are already showing, with wells, ponds and lakes drying up, and handpumps and tubewells becoming non-functional due to low water levels. 8220;The number of defunct handpumps is increasing every summer. The volume of water coming out of the pumps per minute is too falling alarmingly,8221; says Raghuvendra Kumar, Deputy Secretary, Lucknow Jal Sansthan.

Apart from groundwater recharge, experts feel rainwater harvesting is an option the state could look at. 8220;But we still have a long way to go in that direction,8221; says A K Bhargava, a scientist with the Central Ground Water Board Northern Region, Lucknow.

According to a government order passed in April last year, it is mandatory for all buildings with a land area of 200 sq m or more to have rainwater harvesting plants. But more than a year later, these plans lie on paper. CGWB sources say that while rainwater harvesting projects have been started in cities like Lucknow, Aligarh, Allahabad, Varanasi and Muzaffarnagar, these have not been reviewed yet.

The Housing and Development Authority HDA and other concerned agencies have been ordered to pass new building plans only if they had provisions for rainwater harvesting. Says Sarfaraj Ahmad, chief architect planner at HDA: 8220;We have been carrying out workshops involving all, particularly children, to give lessons on groundwater.8221;