The Union Jal Abhiyan Ministry has identified 21 firkas in Tiruchi district where groundwater is over exploited and recommended urgent steps to recharge groundwater before the onset of north-east monsoon.
Of them, 14 firkas were in rural areas and seven in urban areas. Uppilliyapuram, Marungapuri, Manapparai, Thuraiyur, Thathaiyengarpettai, Vaiyampatti, Musiri and Mannachanallur are among the rural firkas. The Manapparai municipality, Thuraiyur municipality, Thottiam town panchayat and Kattuputhur town panchayat are among the urban firkas.
A seven-member team led by Yashvir Singh, Economic Advisor, Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, which visited different parts of Tiruchi district, has identified the groundwater exploited areas. Stating that the average depth of groundwater had gone down drastically from 11.88 metres in Tiruchi district in 2015 to 22.84 metres this year, the team has asked the Rural Development, Public Works Department, Agricultural Department, Agricultural Engineering Department and other departments to take up urgent measures to recharge the groundwater with immediate effect.
R.S ankar, Project Officer, District Rural Development Agency, told The Hindu that based on the recent visit of Jal Shakthi Abhiyan team, the DRDA had launched a special drive to create water conservation infrastructure before the onset of northeast monsoon. It had taken up 1,758 works, including construction of check dams, formation of peculation ponds, desilting of lakes, tanks, ponds and other waterbodies. Most of them were taken under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Job Scheme.
He said that entire workforce and officials of the department had been asked to turn their attention on completing the designated works within two months. A number of awareness programmes including essay writing, quiz, oratorical and other competitions on rainwater harvesting would be taken up to sensitise school students. The services of voluntary organisations would also be utilised to create awareness by street plays and music shows.