Rajura taluka to face probable groundwater scarcity in summer

By Ramesh Marulkar :

Rajura taluka to face probable groundwater scarcity in summer By Ramesh Marulkar : Rajura tehsil of Chandrapur district is the only tehsil in Nagpur division where groundwater level has depleted by one to three metres as it experienced less rainfall during monsoon. As many as 29 villages in this tehsil will face probable water scarcity during summer. Out of a total of 63 tehsils in the division consisting of Nagpur, Gondia, Bhandara, Wardha, Chandrapur and Gadchiroli districts 42 tehsils received rainfall more than average during monsoon while remaining 20 tehsils recorded depletion of groundwater by some percentage but the situation is manageable.

Only one tehsil, Rajura, registered depletion of groundwater level by one to three metres, creating possibility of water scarcity. Rajura received 759.55 mm of rainfall as against the average of 1132 mm as calculated by Groundwater Survey & Development Agency (GSDA), on the basis of number of rainy days till September-end. The division’s average rainfall upto September end is 1172 mm while it registered 1269 mm, straight increase by 97 mm, which comes to nine per cent. This was disclosed by Dr Shivajirao Padmane, In-charge Deputy Director, GSDA, Nagpur, while talking to ‘The Hitavada’ here on Thursday. He said that under Jal Swarajya Project II, GSDA fixed one observation well in each or cluster of villages. The officers gave training to Gram Panchayat employees about measurement of water and supplied them tapes and note books for writing groundwater levels, he added.

The officers selected 6,235 observation wells from the existing dug-wells in the villages. GSDA has already 622 observation wells in the division for reading purpose and hence no such dug-wells fixed in 276 watershed demarcated areas. Now, in one watershed there are three wells for taking readings of the level. GSDA will develop a website in collaboration with Maharashtra State Remote Sensing & application Centre in the near future to give updates on groundwater levels, Dr Padmane pointed out. Parseoni tehsil in Nagpur district and Bhadravati tehsil in Chandrapur district registered rise in the water level by two to three metres while 60 tehsils in Nagpur division have registered increase in groundwater level from zero to one and from one to two metres or some depletion in level.

The officials concerned submitted their water level and probable scarcity reports to their respective district administration. The rainfall occurred in October is not taken into account even though there was a good rainfall in this month. Some villages could face scarcity problem if the people pump out excess water for agriculture and domestic purposes. Meanwhile, three district level water quality testing labs are functioning at Wardha, Gadchiroli and Chandrapur districts, while Bhandara lab is to start from this month. Construction work of Gondia is compelted. The divisional lab at Nagpur is working in Jeevan Pradhikaran building, Telgankhedi. Nagpur Collector has allotted a piece of land to GSDA at Hajaripahad under Jal Warajya Project II for setting up of its own lab, Dr Pramane added. Dr Varsha Mane, Senior Geologist, and R V Hatwar, Junior Geologist, were present during discussion.