Groundwater Depletion Hits All-Time High Across Pune District; Urgent Measures Needed
Pune, 13th April 2024: A recent study has revealed a significant decline in groundwater levels across all 13 tehsils of the district in March. The study, comparing current figures with the average data from the past five years, identified Purandar, Shirur, and Baramati as the most affected areas, experiencing a depletion of up to one meter.
“This marks one of the most severe declines in groundwater levels over the past four to five years. Urgent steps such as mandatory rainwater harvesting initiatives are essential to combat this rapid depletion. Additionally, defunct borewells and wells could be repurposed as recharge systems,” stated Diwakar Dhote, a senior geologist at the Groundwater Surveys and Development Agency (GSDA), which conducted the survey.
In Purandar, the average water table plummeted to 7.02 meters last month, compared to the five-year average of 5.92 meters. Similarly, Shirur witnessed a decline to 7.09 meters from 6.14 meters, while Baramati reported a decrease to 6.44 meters from the previous average of 5.58 meters.
Experts attribute the depletion to a shortfall in rainwater input compared to output, emphasizing that only 30-40% of rainfall naturally percolates into the soil, exacerbating groundwater scarcity. Urgent interventions are imperative to address this alarming trend and ensure sustainable water management practices for the future.
