Groundwater level across State improves from 15.08 Metre Below Ground Level (MBGL) in April 2016 to 12.04 in April 2017.
To what extent Mission Kakatiya, the State government’s flagship programme to rejuvenate village tanks, has succeeded in recharging groundwater in the State is evident from the marked improvement in the levels across various districts. Blessed with excess rainfall of 16 per cent in 2016-17, coupled with the successful implementation of Mission Kakatiya, the average groundwater level across the State has substantially improved from 15.08 Metre Below Ground Level (MBGL) in April 2016 to 12.04 in April this year, recording a rise in water level by 3.76 MBGL.
“Had Mission Kakatiya not been taken up, the scene would have been entirely different. The desilting and rejuvenation of tanks across the State helped immensely in increasing and conserving rainwater,” K Dhananjaya, Director, Telangana Ground Water Department (GWD) told.
Stating that the GWD had taken up a study of all areas in the State where water levels had drastically decreased, he said that following the findings of the survey, various water conservation works, including water harvesting pits, were taken up as part of Mission Kakatiya. “As a result, mandals where groundwater was depleting fast are now on a par with other mandals. If the project had not been taken up, water levels would have further depleted,” Dhananjaya said.
According to GWD data, groundwater levels in the range of five to 10 mbgl were observed in 141 mandals, including 13 in Mahabubabad, Bhadradri (11), Warangal Rural (8) and Jagtial (8) districts. Groundwater levels of two to five mbgl was found in 61 mandals and water logging conditions with water level around two mbgl was observed in nine mandals, most of them in Mancherial district.
Deep water levels of over 20 mbgl were recorded in 77 mandals, including nine in Siddipet, Nagarkurnool (9), Sangareddy (9), Rangareddy (7), Medak (5) and Nalgonda (5) districts. In all, 205 mandals recorded moderate depth in the range of 10 to 20 mbgl and most of them are in Rangareddy (14), Sangareddy (14), Mahabubnagar (13), Vikarabad (12) and Nizamabad (12).
The State government has identified 46,531 tanks across the State for implementation of Mission Kakatiya at a cost of Rs. 2,00,000 crore over a period of five years. Every year, about 9,000 tanks are taken up for rejuvenation through desilting. The third phase of the programme is in progress with sanction for 6,230 tanks already given so far. In the first phase of the programme, 8,046 tanks and ponds were covered, while 9,023 tanks were rejuvenated in the second phase.
Source: Telangana Today