Such is the National Capital’s huge demand of water that, according to a Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) report, not a single region in Delhi has recorded a significant rise in groundwater level during last two decades.
The culprit: excessive and mindless exploitation.
In fact, the Supreme Court had noted that the situation was “semi-critical” in Delhi.
Ideally, it should remain between 0-5 m below ground level (bgl).
Groundwater level was last recorded at 63m bgl in Saket in May 2010, according to the report.
A fall of nearly 10 m was also noted in east district’s Gazipur area in last seven years.
On the flip side, data recorded at Akshardham show groundwater level varying a little below and above 6 m bgl from May 2005 to May 2016.
“The shallowest water-level noted at Akshardham is mainly because it lies in active floodplain region.
However, it was recorded in the year 2010.
In Shahdara, groundwater level consistently declined by at least 2 m every five years from May 2000 (4.5m bgl) to May 2015 (10.79 m bgl).