Depleting groundwater: NGT issues notices to states
In peninsular areas over-exploited units are widespread in the states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and parts of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
National Green Tribunal (NGT)
CHENNAI: Observing that groundwater resources in states including Tamil Nadu are over exploited, the Principal Bench of National Green Tribunal has issued notice to the state governments across the country to file their responses on the issue.
Taking note of a United Nations' report on the groundwater level in India, which said that the level will go down by 2025, the NGT said that over extraction in several areas which is in particular Rajasthan and Gujarat where prevailing arid climate conditions results in low recharge of ground water hence stress.
In peninsular areas over-exploited units are widespread in the states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and parts of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
"The news item raises a very serious concern relating to depleting the ground water level. Hence, a substantial issue relating to compliance of environmental laws is involved in the matter, " the NGT said.
With regard to Tamil Nadu out of 1,08,719 SqKm recharge worthy area, 32,401.7 SqKm area under over exploited, 7,488.67 SqKm critical, 21,987.14 SqKm semi critical. In the case of Tamil, there have been 41 units showing deterioration. Several areas in the 34 district are over-exploited or critical.
As per the UN report, some areas in the Indo-Gangetic basin in India have already passed the groundwater depletion tipping point and its entire northwestern region is predicted to experience critically low groundwater availability by 2025. Also, India is the world's largest user of groundwater, exceeding the use of the United States and China combined. Around 78 per cent of wells in Punjab are considered overexploited and the northwestern region as a whole is predicted to experience critically low groundwater availability by 2025.
Meanwhile, the Central Ground Water Board said in its report that a comparison of depth to water level of pre-monsoon 2022 with pre-monsoon indicates that 69.7 per cent of the analysed wells show rise in water level whereas almost 29 per cent wells show decline in water level.