Alarming dip in the city ground water level

By Saptarshi Bhattacharya

CHENNAI, MAY 31. The water table in the city has dipped to an alarming level this summer due to continuous failure of monsoon and lack of facilities such as rain water harvesting.

The readings taken by the Metrowater in the first week of this month pointed to an average depth of six metres. Though the readings from various parts are different, the fact that in many areas the borewells have gone dry, is disturbing, water experts say.

The zonal average of the ground water level in the Kodambakkam Corporation Zone recorded the lowest (7.32 metres) while it was 7.24 metres in Basin Bridge. Things looked better in Triplicane and Pulianthope zones, despite the areas being thickly populated.

However, the figures indicated a marginal increase compared to the previous month due to the showers in the middle of April. The city average in the first week of April stood at 6.6 metres. Last year, the average ground water level in May stood at 4.4 metres, while in April, it was 3.3 metres.

Indiscriminate withdrawal through borewells, some hydrogeologists say, have ``disturbed'' the groundwater table. The situation has turned worse since all other possibilities of augmenting the water supply were exhausted. This was reported by the Metrowater to an U.N. mission which was here for a study of the groundwater status in the mid-Eighties. Failure of monsoon in the past two years have aggravated the problem.

The Madras Metropolitan Area Groundwater (Regulation) Act, 1987, was aimed at regulating and controlling the extraction and transport of ground water, and at conserving it. But the Act has failed to stop the depletion as it only provided for a spot fine of about Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 on the offenders.

Hence, an amendment was sought in 1998 with a view to increasing the amount, confiscating the property used by the offenders to lift and transport water, initiating legal action against them and including a few more areas adjoining the suburban areas in the list of 229 scheduled areas where the Act was operational. Political pressure had since kept the proposal in abeyance, sources said.

The fine amount collected last year was Rs. 14,000, while in 1999 it was as high as Rs. 76,000.

In 1994, the Government directed the public to seek permission from the Revenue and Metrowater officials before sinking borewells with pumpsets of more than one HP. But, the response was very poor, said Metrowater sources. A total of 24,856 wells were registered till 1992 after which no registration was made.

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