Keonjhar: In what could be a tell-tale sign of an approaching disaster for people living in certain pockets of Keonjhar, many rivers including Baitarani and Kanjhari have run dry while the water table in other dams, creeks and wells has plummeted ahead of summer.
People apprehend that the fall in water levels might cause severe inconveniences for them in coming days. Environmentalists have also expressed concern over the situation.
Environmentalists state that the main reason for worry is that the water table has plummeted even as winter is yet to fully recede.
“If this is the situation now, imagine what it would be like when we are in the middle of the summer season,” said a local.
Water flow in the Baitarani has drastically gone down and the river has almost dried up at several places. People of riparian pockets have started facing water crisis, they added.
This year, the water crisis is expected to further deepen compared to previous years.
Many hill streams have already run dry, leaving people in forested pockets in a miserable condition, it was learnt.
People living in the Baitarani river basin area said the water table has gone down due to which they are enduring difficult times.
Ecologists say rampant mining, tree felling, and road expansion have contributed to a rapid depletion of underground water resources.
Scanty rainfall over several years has also contributed to the drying up of water bodies even in winter, they noted.
“No compensatory forests are being generated at the places where forests have vanished. Concrete jungles are being created everywhere. Mindless mining and industrialisation have had a lasting impact on environment, ultimately leading to water depletion in almost all water bodies in the district,” said local environmentalist Duskar Barik. PNN
