30% wells registered decline in groundwater level: Govt

About 30 per cent of wells monitored in the country have registered a decline in groundwater level, whereas the remaining have recorded a rise, the government said on Monday. In response to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Jal Shakti Bishweswar Tudu said the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) is periodically monitoring groundwater levels across the country on a regional scale, through a network of monitoring wells.

In order to assess the long-term fluctuation in groundwater levels, the data collected by the CGWB during November, 2021 have been compared with the decadal mean of November, 2011-2020, the minister said.

"Analysis of water level data indicates that about 30 per cent of the wells monitored have registered a decline in groundwater level whereas 70 per cent wells have registered a rise (in ground water levels)," he said in a written response.

According to the data, a total of 14,275 wells were analysed, out of which, 7,043 wells registered a rise of 0-2 metres and 3,338 registered a fall of 0-2 metres.