Karnataka: Pre-monsoon showers help recharge groundwater aquifers of Chamrajnagar district

MYSURU: Pre-monsoon showers resulting from the cyclone have helped recharge the groundwater aquifers in the arid Chamarajanagar district. The border district is among those that has recorded excess rainfall in May, along with several others in the Old Mysore region.
In addition to good pre-monsoon showers, the state government's project aimed at filling lakes in the district has helped increase groundwater level in Chamarajanagar from 7.2m in December 2021 to 9.12m in May 2022. Authorities in the Chamarajanagar district administration has compiled all the data on the groundwater reserves using a real-time monitoring system, and digital water-level recorders inserted in the rain gauge borewells in Yanagalli in Chamarajanagar taluk, Terakanambi and Bommalapura in Gundlupet taluk.
Furthermore, water level has also increased in several pumpset borewells, including in those that were previously defunct. Incessant rain across several parts of the district since mid-March has resulted in Chamarajanagar receiving 65mm excess rainfall so far this year. Farmers in the western parts of Gundlupet have some reason to cheer given that groundwater level in the taluk has increased, with the receding trend now snapped.
Villages within a radius of ten kilometres of Uttur Lake Lift Irrigation project have all recorded spurt in the grounwater level. Lakes in Chamarajanagar, Yelandur and Gundlupet taluks were filled as part of the state government's project, prompting many farmers to experiment with cultivation of cash-rich crops such as sugarcane and horticulture crops such as banana, said former Chamarajanagar agriculture produce market committee (APMC) president P Ravikumar.
Geologist with the department of mines and geology Gagandeep told TOI that the increase in groundwater level in the district had had the additional benefit of reducing salinity in the soil by around 75%.
"The district has been recording excess rainfall since October last year. Projects aimed at filling lakes, efficient rainwater harvesting techniques, construction of check dams and water sink pits have all contributed to the increase in groundwater level," Gagandeep added.