Stop groundwater misuse, experts urge all parties

LUCKNOW: Rapid depletion of groundwater levels across the city has prompted a group of water conservationists to appeal to all political parties to give the alarming issue a place on their poll agenda.
Hydrogeologist RS Sinha, former senior engineer Central Ground Water Board BB Trivedi, environmentalist and BBAU professor Venkatesh Dutta and environmentalist Farukh Rahman Khan, who are all members of the Ground Water Action Group, have in an open letter exposed "the grim situation".
They have claimed "unchecked groundwater use for drinking, agriculture and industrial purpose with little effort to replenish the depleting resources". Laws on groundwater preservation are being blatantly violated, they have said and demanded a dedicated cell for strict monitoring.
According to hydrogeologist Sinha, the ideal groundwater level is 5.8 metres below the surface. But, indiscriminate use has caused the level to plummet up to 14 metres in many places, he pointed out. The situation is alarming because 40% of Lucknow's total 30 lakh population is dependent on groundwater, drawn through tube wells and submersible pumps, to quench their thirst.
Extraction at such a high rate can lead to land subsidence in the future, the experts warned, adding that if the situation went unchecked, there would be no groundwater source left in 8-10 years from now.
Areas where the groundwater level is alarmingly low (below 14 metres) are Gomtinagar, Indiranagar, Jankipuram, Lalbagh, Jail Road, Vrindavan Colony, Mahanagar, Aliganj, Aminabad, Hazratganj, Triveninagar, Ganeshganj and Naubasta.
The situation is no better across UP with 56 out of 75 districts facing acute water crisis. Some of the districts in red zone are Kanpur (13m), Barabanki (12m), Gonda (12m), Hardoi (11m) and Balrampur (11m).
Meanwhile, the residents of LDA colony in Naka and Rajajipuram have been facing problems of unclean water supply and water-logging during monsoon for the past 10-15 years. "We have been running from pillar to post since years, but nobody listens. Now we will support a candidate who will support us in our cause" said Swati Nigam, a resident.
Biharilal, a resident of Hari Nagar, Balaganj, said, "This colony was built in 1996 and we moved here in 2001. Despite being close to Jal Nigam pumping station, no water supply line has been laid in our colony.
"Few years back, they laid the sewage line but that remains choked. We believe that the matter will be resolved only when candidates seeking elections make it a political issue."