Groundwater level dips in 60% tehsils of Maharashtra.
The groundwater level in 60% tehsils of Maharashtra has depleted by a minimum of one metre, a Maharashtra government agency report has said.
“Of the 353 tehsils in Maharashtra, 218 have shown groundwater level depleting by at least one metre.
A total of 5,166 villages in these tehsils would face water scarcity during the summer season,” a report released by the Groundwater Surveys and Development Agency (GSDA) said.
The report is based on readings taken at 3,920 observation wells across the State.
Groundwater level readings taken in March are crucial as they help frame policies to tackle scarcity.
A total of 2,130 villages in 72 tehsils, where there was a rainfall deficit in a range of 0-20% in 2016, have shown groundwater depletion of more than one metre, said the report.
Similarly, 1,854 villages in 113 tehsils, which received excess rainfall during the monsoon, have reported a minimum one metre depletion.
Moreover, in 325 villages, the water table has depleted more than three metres, while in 857 villages, the depletion is between two and three metres.
Pradeep Purandare, former associate professor (irrigation management) at Water and Land Management Institute, Aurangabad, said, the depletion may be a result either of farmers opting for water-intensive crops, or exploitation of resources by private companies supplying drinking water.