Water level has fallen below 150 feet in Srirangam island which has Kollidam flowing on its north and Cauvery to its south.
Rain water harvesting system was pivotal to maintaining ground water table, he said.
A simple RWH mechanism will have a 3-5 feet-deep pit with a few layers of rock and sand of different sizes to collect water from the roof top.
This would ensure that water doesn’t flow on the streets or in the drain and evaporates.
The project was taken up seriously in the initial months but abandoned over the years with no interest on the part of the government and lack of a mechanism to monitor the system.
Sources from the civic body estimate that over 90 per cent of the 2 lakh odd houses in the city does not have proper rain water harvesting (RWH) system at home.
The RWH system could have played a vital role in a city like Trichy which did not have many tanks to ensure ground water recharge.
This was particularly so because the rate of ground water withdrawal was more than that of recharge causing an imbalance in the groundwater reserves in Trichy region.
"In many houses, only recharge pits were dug and connected through pipeline from the roof.
However, there was no mechanism to monitor the system and ensure that it had not gone defunct.