-The Times of India blog A reply by Water Resources minister Uma Bharti to a Lok Sabha question on groundwater depletion foregrounds tough trade-offs facing India’s policymakers. According to Bharti, an assessment of groundwater resources and usage showed that 16% of 6,584 assessment units in India are “overexploited.” A table which accompanies her reply provides state-wise data. Here, Punjab stands out for the magnitude of overexploitation. If 16% of assessed units in India...
More »SEARCH RESULT
Ground water levels declining fast in Maharashtra -Zeeshan Shaikh
-The Indian Express The study compared pre-monsoon water level data for 1,487 wells selected from across Maharashtra with the decadal mean between 2006-2015. This study indicated a decline in ground water levels in 70 per cent of the wells monitored. Mumbai: The low intensity of rains across the state, especially in cities like Mumbai, may have led to consternation but Maharashtra faces a larger problem in the long run due to a...
More »'Gujarat using 72% of its groundwater' -Parth Shastri
-The Times of India AHMEDABAD: As the state is waiting for the onset of monsoon, water management experts are worried about harnessing the maximum amount rainwater to replenish aquifers. During a national-level workshop in Ahmedabad on Tuesday, experts said that out of 25 blocks defined by Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), 23 are overexploited in the state. The worst affected are districts in north Gujarat where depletion is more than 100% -...
More »Drought takes toll on poultry sector -KV Kurmanath & Vishwanath Kulkarni
-The Hindu Business Line Soaring temperatures, transport strike add to woes in the South Hyderabad/ Bengaluru: Summer is not a great season for the poultry industry. Oppressive heat, increase in feed costs and depleting groundwater levels tell on production. This year’s drought in the southern States and transport strike have only added to the problems, resulting in a 20-25 per cent price drop. The overall cost of production has gone up by 10 per...
More »Jalyukt Shivar Yojana unsustainable, says study -Shoumojit Banerjee
-The Hindu Indiscriminate digging of farm ponds has accelerated groundwater extraction The Maharashtra government’s flagship Jalyukt Shivar Yojana has been touted as a drought-proofing scheme, but a field study conducted by South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People (SANDRP) gives a different picture. The organisation carried out the study at Hiwargaon-Pawasa, a backwater village with a population of 1,500, in Ahmadnagar district’s Sangamner Taluk. The research presents a microcosmic example of how...
More »