Around 250 villages in the state have shown groundwater depletion levels at below 3 metres.
Following a series of intervention programmes aiding recharge of groundwater in the state, the groundwater tables have shown improvement, following this year’s summer.
It is a positive sign in the backdrop of increasing stress and rising abuse of groundwater at most places in the country.
According to the latest observations recorded as part of the pre-monsoon schedule by city-based Groundwater Survey and Development Agency (GSDA), only 248 villages from across Maharashtra have shown groundwater depletion levels at below 3 metres underneath the ground surface. In May 2107, it was close to 1,000 villages, mostly in Marathwada and Vidarbha
regions.
At the end of this summer, Yavatmal (342 villages), Akola (249), Aurangabad (174), Amravati (110), Hingoli (83) and Ahmednagar (14) districts reported the steepest drop in groundwater level. It means this year, monsoon will be crucial for these districts, which are facing groundwater scarcity for the second consecutive year.
“Along with abundant rainfall over most regions, which regulated and helped recharge of wells, intervention schemes like Jalyukta Shivar, are beginning to show some positive signs on groundwater. Barring a few pockets in Marathwada and Vidarbha where the overall seasonal rainfall was little below normal, the trend in rest of Maharashtra is encouraging,” said a senior geologist at GSDA.
In all, the hydrologists at the GSDA surveyed 3,920 wells across the state to determine groundwater recharge and fluctuation and understand the discharge rate.
Konkan and Pune regions topped the charts with appreciable groundwater levels. While there was no village in Konkan with water levels dropping below “dangerous” level, 30 villages in Pune and Solapur districts under Pune region showed depletion of more than three metres.