Groundwater levels falling at rapid pace

Rajendranagar: With 30% deficit rainfall during the monsoon season this year and no proper rains yet in the state, the groundwater levels in Rangareddy district, especially in Rajendranagar Mandal, continues to fall further, making it hard for the people in the urban areas, and the farmers in rural areas to get access to the water supply.

The water table in several mandals of the districts, especially in Rajendranagar, continues to drop due to insufficient rainfall, and the situation could turn more alarming in the days to come if the proper preventive measures were not taken to address the deteriorating water depletion.

Almost 12 mandals are witnessing severe depletion of groundwater levels by more than 20 meters below the surface, and the groundwater at Rajendranagar to slip down by almost 3 meters. However, the groundwater levels in other mandals are said to be stable and are quite better. The officials are attributing the situation to delay in monsoon and inadequate rainfall even after setting up of the clouds.

Presently, 12 mandals of the Rangareddy district are witnessing a rapid depletion of groundwater due to shortfall of rains. These mandals include Balapur, Chevella, Farooq Nagar/Shadnagar, Kadtal, Kothur, Mahesehwaram, Manchaal, Moinabad, Shahabad, Shamshabad, Shenkerpally, Talakondapally and Ibrahimpatnam. The Rajendranagar mandal too witnessed drop by almost 2.6 meters. Last year, the groundwater level in Rajendranagar was at 10.95 meters, but this year, it slipped to 13.55 meters below surface level. Thus, 2.6 meters slippage was recorded this year in Rajendranagar.

If the groundwater is 20 meters below the surface, then the districts are designated as problematic due to the prevailing drought like situation, said A Chandra Reddy, district round water officer in Rangareddy.

The volume of groundwater, he said, is decreasing very fast. According to the present statistics, the district groundwater level was at 18.38 meters in June this year, while last year, it was at 17.02 meters around the same time. "This indicates a comparative slippage of 1.36 meters this year. The water table supposed to increase by 3 meters this year, but has slipped by 1.36 meters instead, compared to last year," he said.

Already, there are many urban areas reeling under severe water crises, while in rural areas the drought-like situation is prevailing due to deficit rainfall this year. The farmers are in distress due to non-availability of irrigation water for their crops in several rural areas.

"To prevent the situation from deteriorating further, the bore well activities in urban areas should be stopped and the formation of rainwater harvesting pits in houses should be promoted. In rural areas, farmers should be encouraged to take up cultivation other than the paddy that needs abundance of water to flourish. Awareness should be brought in the peasant community to cultivate short term crops of vegetables that needs irrigation only once in a week.

Replacing paddy with other short-term crops like veggies could reduce irrigation water demand. Moreover, the farmers should construct farm ponds in their fields to prevent the rain from getting waste, he said.