To check fall in Gurgaon’s groundwater table, MCG to seal 560 borewells

Gurgaon: Taking into consideration the depleting groundwater level in the city, MCG is drawing up a plan to seal 560 borewells in the city.
“These 560 borewells are fragmented across the city in areas where either the canal water supply hasn’t reached or isn’t enough to meet the demand. I have asked my team to draw up a plan to provide canal water in all these areas,” said MCG commissioner Yashpal Yadav.
He added that as part of the plan, they will build tanks and provide boosters in these areas to help officials store canal water and supply them to the households. Once the residents start receiving canal water, the borewells will be sealed.
Many areas in the city, especially new sectors, do not get water supply through pipelines, forcing the residents to rely on borewells. Over the last five years, the city’s water table has depleted by almost two-and-a-half metre. TOI had reported in 2018, that the city’s water table has seen an 82% decline in the last 10 years. The data collected by Gurgaon’s groundwater cell 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. In the last five years, the pace of decline has been 1.5-2m every year. This is faster than the rate of depletion than that in Delhi. Yadav said that groundwater exploitation was worsening the tables and hence they have decided to seal the borewells.
“I have already sought a report from the team on the project and we will try to start the canal supply to all the areas as soon as possible with help from GMDA,” said Yadav. However, there are a lot of illegal borewells running in the city beyond the 560 borewells in MCG’s records and unless the government authorities crack down on these as well, the problem of groundwater exploitation is far from dealt.