Rayagada: Residents in this district stare at a major water crisis shortly with the sharp decline in groundwater level, sources said Friday. The establishment of many industries and a rise in population are two of the main reasons for the alarming decrease in groundwater level, they pointed out. Rampant digging up of bore wells is another reason for the shrinking groundwater level, sources added. Environmentalists apprehend that a major crisis is in store in future as no steps have been taken for the conservation of water. They added that unless the digging up of bore wells is curtailed, the water crisis cannot be controlled. It should be added that district administration officials are clueless about the bore well issue. They do not even know how many bore wells have been set up in the district.
Residents pointed out that the administration is not taking any concrete steps to preserve water below the soil. Sources said that there is a groundwater division (GWD) office in the district but it remains non-functional due to a lack of an adequate number of employees. People in the know of things informed that groundwater level started decreasing in 2019 and now the pinch is already being felt. This district has 11 blocks and 78 points for checking groundwater levels. In most of the blocks the water level has decreased substantially, sources pointed out. The groundwater level is satisfactory at Padmapur block while it is the worst in Rayagada block. Reports available from the Rayagada Groundwater Development Department said that water was earlier available at 4.96 metres below soil in Bissam Cuttack block.
However, it depleted to 7.77 metres in 2023. Similarly, the water level at Gudari block stood at 10.46 metres in 2019 but now has gone down to 12.39 metres. The water level at Gunupur was 13.01 metres and 6.20 metres at two checkpoints in 2019. However, now it stands at 13.49 metres and 3.45 metres. At Rayagada block, the water level has reduced to 29.31 metres now as against 22.24 metres in 2019. According to the information available, the situation is the same for most of the other blocks including Kalyansingpur, Kashipur, Kolnara and Muniguda. Environmentalists stated that the way the water level is falling, the district stares at a bleak future. When contacted, hydrologist Jyotiprasad Das working at the GWD office stated that the current groundwater level is indeed concerning. He, however, pointed out that it is the responsibility of all residents in the district to conserve and preserve water. He informed me that he has not received any instruction to impose restrictions on the digging up of bore wells.
