Gurgaon’s groundwater table has fallen by 82% in past decade

GURUGRAM: The city’s water table has seen a precipitous 82% decline in the last 10 years. Pre-monsoon data collected by Gurugram’s groundwater cell shows the water table fell to 36.21 metres below ground level in 2016. In 2006, this was 19.85 metres, showing an alarming decline of about 17 metres over the decade.
Pre-monsoon data (the average level) is taken every year in the month of June. Last year, the data recorded a slight increase in the average water table to 32.31 metres but officials said it does not provide an accurate picture because samples from some borewells could not be taken. Till new data is collected this June, the 2016 data can be treated as a benchmark.

Gurugram has been close to a water crisis since 2013 when the entire district was categorised as ‘over-exploited’ by the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB). In the last five years, the pace of the decline has been 1.5-2m every year, matching the increase in population and construction activities that drive up water demand. This is a faster depletion rate than Delhi’s.

The CGWB told the Supreme Court earlier this week that the capital’s water table is receding in a range of 0.5-2m every year and 90% of Delhi is now either semi-critical or critical in terms of groundwater availability.

In Gurugram, borewells that showed maximum depletion of the water table between 2016 and 2017 are in Chakkarpur, Kherki Daula, Baliawas and Kasan, with Chakkarpur recording the fastest decline of over 2 metres. Chakkarpur lies close to upmarket residential areas like Golf Course Road and MG Road. The decline in water table at Kherki Dhaula and Kasan will affect new sectors in Manesar while that in Baliawas will have an impact on areas near Gurugram-Faridabad Road, Golf Course Road (extension) and Sohna Road.

Experts blamed illegal groundwater extraction owing to rampant urbanisation and massive construction activity for the situation. Shashwat Kumar of Development 2050, an NGO that works for water conservation, said, “Gurugram’s population has gone up exponentially in the last 10 years. Massive urbanisation and construction of real estate have led to this situation. The problem is there is no emphasis on reviving water bodies and other ways of groundwater recharge. If this continues, the city might run out of groundwater soon.”

The district hydrologist, however, pointed out that the city has been able to maintain a better average water level depth in the last five years. V S Lamba told TOI, “Since 2011, we’ve been supplying over 60-70 MGD (million gallons per day) of canal water to the city, which means water supply has improved and not many people rely on groundwater now. The decline could have been worse if the canal water supply had not been planned by the authorities. We also take strict action against illegal groundwater extraction.”

Experts said the Haryana government needs to draft a comprehensive groundwater recharge plan for the city. Sushmita Sengupta, deputy programme manager in the water team at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), said, “Gurugram is heavily dependent on groundwater, but has no city-wide groundwater recharge plan. Compare this to every other state, which has a groundwater recharge plan that extends to individual buildings.”

Some also raised the need to map groundwater for the Gurugram metropolitan area. “Due to massive concretisation and urbanisation, water table has fallen precipitously,” said Chetna Agarwal, an environmental analyst.

“Note that the average water table provided by the authorities is that of the entire district. We need CGWB to map water table and groundwater recharge in the city area for a better picture. Also, authorities should focus on reviving check dams, natural drains and deepen the city’s water bodies,” he added.

(The data was gathered from the hydrologist and the reply to an RTI application filed by activist Aseem Takyar )