Bhubaneswar: The Orissa Environmental Society (OES) working president Jayakrushna Panigrahi, in a letter addressed to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi Saturday, expressed concern over the ‘unrestrained’ extraction of groundwater in Odisha and seeks his urgent intervention to strengthen regulation and monitoring of groundwater withdrawal amid growing concerns over climate change and global warming.
The organisation stated that groundwater depletion occurs when extraction exceeds natural recharge of groundwater and noted that the resource remains vital for drinking water supply, agriculture and industrial activities in the state.
The outfit claimed that over-extraction and unregulated usage have already affected groundwater levels in 23 districts. While appreciating the state government’s efforts through Odisha Ground Water (Regulation, Development and Management) Act, 2011, the society said effective implementation and enforcement at the field level remain inadequate.
It was observed that although provisions exist for regulating large-scale extraction and restricting withdrawal in critical and over-exploited areas, sustainable groundwater management has yet to be fully achieved. The environmental body also pointed to poor compliance with rainwater harvesting measures among urban establishments, institutions and industries.
It stressed the need for strengthening watershed development programmes and constructing more check dams in rural areas to improve groundwater recharge. Highlighting the role of public participation, the organisation urged the government to encourage farmers to adopt water-efficient irrigation methods such as drip and sprinkler systems.
It also recommended systematic monitoring through observation wells and digital groundwater mapping for better assessment and planning. In its memorandum, the society placed several recommendations before the CM, including mandatory permission from the Water Resources department for all groundwater extraction, compulsory installation of rainwater harvesting systems and water meters at extraction points to regulate usage and generate revenue for water management.
The organisation further proposed creating recharge openings in urban drainage channels to facilitate groundwater infiltration instead of runoff into sewage systems or rivers. It also sought comprehensive mapping of groundwater and surface water resources across all districts, restrictions on new extraction permissions in overexploited areas and construction of reservoirs in low-lying river regions to store excess flood water for use during periods of scarcity.
Appealing for CM’s personal attention to the matter, Panigrahi said effective conservation and scientific management of water resources are essential to protect the people of the state from future water stress as climate change impacts continue to intensify.