Dip in groundwater a worry

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Commercial exploitation of groundwater poses a challenge to the state government and local self-governments as summer begins to scorch the land leading to drying up of wells.

The previous LDF government had proposed a regulatory mechanism and prepared a draft to amend the Groundwater Act 2002 in tune with union government guidelines, but the proposal still hangs fire.

The proposed regulations include making licences mandatory for digging wells, especially bore and tube wells.

According to sources, the water resources department had prepared the amendment draft and submitted it to the law department but the draft had not seen light since then.

In the 2002 Act, restriction in digging of wells was confined to blocks identified as facing acute groundwater shortage.

As per this, only five blocks out of 156 in Kerala needed regulations. They were Athiyanoor (Thiruvananthapuram), Kodungalloor, Chittoor, Kozhikode and Kasaragod.

But the government later thought about bringing better regulation following complaints of commercial exploitation of groundwater especially in cities like Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram leading to depletion of groundwater level at a faster rate.

According to former water resources minister N.K. Premachandran, there was a 28 per cent dip in groundwater in the state over the years and if over-exploitation of this crucial water sources was allowed, the state would face serious water crisis sooner than later.

“The aim of the proposed amendment was to avoid such a crisis in the future.” He hoped that the present UDF government would not delay it.

Meanwhile, Groundwater department director R. Ramesh told DC there was a faster decline of groundwater table in Thiruvananthapuram district this summer, owing to deficit monsoon last year.

Thiruvananthapuram had recorded 35 per cent deficiency in monsoon rainfall in 2011.