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Groundwater depleting fast, Even as areas in south and southwest Delhi have been notifiedBy Sumit Kumar, Section Water
South and southwest Delhi are in for a massive water crisis. According to Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) figures, the Chattarpur basin is likely to become dry in the next two to three years with ground water levels in areas like Asola having fallen by a whopping 9 metre in the past year. Even though areas are notified, there is rampant extraction of groundwater here since the government supply is insufficient.
Since 2001, no measures for replenishing groundwater in the two zones have worked, with water level falling to 40-70 metre in several areas since then, according to CGWB. Where water levels post monsoon are usually seen to rise, the Board marked out several areas ``where groundwater levels actually were declining''. ``South and southwest zones have always been problematic since the government supply here has been very erratic. Largescale illegal boring also caused the levels to come down drastically. Now there is just no water in the area. Rainwater harvesting projects also won't help much since the situation here already worse,'' said a senior CGWB official. groundwater development, extraction over available resources, in south Delhi is the highest in the city at 243% while in southwest district it is 214%. ``A lot more water is being extracted over the safe levels. So even recharge systems will fail here if extraction is not stopped,'' said Vinod Jain of NGO Tapas. In the Pushp Vihar area, groundwater level fell from 59 metre in 2006 to 69 metre in 2007. Other places have recorded a fall of 2-3 metre on an average in the past one year. ``Largescale commercialisation is also a huge problem. Several malls and commercial complexes that have come up in Saket and Vasant Vihar are a huge burden on the groundwater level. Government agencies were obviously not concerned with the availability of essential resources when they decided to `develop' the area,'' said a CGWB official.
The other serious problem that has emerged in the area is the extraction of groundwater by private tanker operators. Even as CGWB and Delhi Jal Board indulged in blame game in permitting private players to extract water unhindered, one thing is clear that there seems to be no data on how many tanker operators are working and how much water is being extracted from the critical zones. In fact, DJB officials also said that the illegal extraction was actually affecting their supply as well.
The areas where largescale extraction is taking place are Gwalapahari, Ayanagar, Aligaon and Asola Jaunapur. However, residents point out that this has been going on unhindered for several months and the situation is likely to worsen in the coming summer months. ``There is an entire industry of supplying water. And the nexus among operators, local police and politicians is so strong that we cannot do anything about it,'' said a resident of Ayanagar. The Jaunapur Gadaipur Welfare Association had written to CGWA in 2006, informing it of largescale illegal borings and the tanker network in the area. Nothing has been done on the complaint so far. Farm owners in the Chattarpur area are even more troubled since they have no water for irrigation purposes. ``The water table is so low in this region that water used for irrigation is not enough to replenish the level. All farm houses here are dependent on groundwater for their supply which is why levels here have fallen to such an extent. We have even written to the chief minister and apprised her of the situation. There will be a serious crisis here if there is no help forthcoming from the government,'' said a farm owner. The government recently allocated Rs 3 crore for recharge of water bodies through a well system though experts say that it is only a drop in the ocean. ``There are only a few water bodies and even then recharge will affect a very small portion. If extraction is so high, what help with a little bit of recharge do,'' said Jain. Source: TOI, May-16-2008
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