Tamil Nadu

Appreciable rise in groundwater level, say Chennai residents

By K. Lakshmi and T. Ramakrishnan

By K. Lakshmi and

T. Ramakrishnan

CHENNAI, SEPT. 26. About a year ago, citizens of Chennai and those in other parts of the State were on a "mission mode" — installing rainwater harvesting structures on their premises.

But any hope of improving the depleting groundwater position in 2003 summer was dashed as the north-east monsoon failed. Very soon, open wells, which had water, turned dry. So did new borewells sunk after 2003 summer or existing ones that were deepened.

Though the rainfall in May lessened the usual heat of the month, the following months did not provide any relief. Chennai experienced a "second summer" in August. However, September saw some sharp showers, bringing back smiles on the faces of Chennaiites. From June this year (till date) Chennai had 31 cm rain, of which 18 cm was in September alone.

The biggest question now is whether the last year's "State-wide RWH drive" has led to any improvement in the groundwater scenario in the city.

It appears to have done so in most parts of Chennai. Although residents are unable to quantify the rise in levels, they feel rainwater harvesting has certainly helped.

Improvement

"The open well in my office at Mandaveli went dry in February. I see water again in the well after the latest spell of rain," says Shekar Raghavan, one of the leading activists of the RWH movement.

R. Rameswaran of Old Washermenpet (an area with sandy soil) says, "early this month, the borewell in my home went completely dry. But it has revived in the wake of the recent rain."

V.S. Sukumaran, residing in an apartment complex at Kasturba Nagar, Adyar (another area with sandy strata), says, "Now, we buy only half a tanker of water and depend more on groundwater." In this complex, rainwater is directed to a shallow well. Other residents of Kasturba Nagar feel that recharge of groundwater is substantial as most residents have harvested rainwater from rooftops and through percolation pits.

Similarly, residents of Anna Nagar (which has clay soil) say though they have not noticed a significant change in the groundwater level, the quality has improved. D. Sundararajulu, president, Anna Nagar Residents' Welfare Association, says most residents have adopted percolation pits with boreholes.

Saving power bill

A.V. Surendran, convener, Joint Committee of Residents' Welfare Association -North Villivakkam and Kolathur, says: "We save on our power bill as the time taken for extracting water is less after the rain, thanks to RWH structures."

However, the situation in areas with the hard-rock formation has not improved that substantially. K. Suresh Kumar of Guindy did not see much impact on either in the quality or the level of groundwater.

Nearly 3.2 lakh buildings in the city today have RWH structures. This means 100 per cent coverage of the programme in Chennai's buildings except government buildings.

R. Jeyakumar, another proponent of the RWH movement, says people who have constructed proper structures have reaped the maximum benefit. Even those who were reluctant about the measure have realised its impact on groundwater now.

Dr. Raghavan's study in Gandhi Nagar, Adyar notes that only one-half of about 310 houses (covered by the study) had put up proper structures. "This finding almost reflects the position in the rest of the city," he points out. R. Ramani, another activist, emphasises that a flushing system should be made an integral part of every RWH system.

A senior Metrowater official says his organisation will study the situation after a couple of weeks.

© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu