Nagpur: A deficient monsoon has resulted in groundwater levels across Nagpur division shrinking at an alarming rate, raising fears of an acute drinking water crisis and a bleak rabi season. New data from the state govt’s Groundwater Surveys and Development Agency (GSDA) shows groundwater levels across the region were 42% lower at the end of Sept than the average recorded for the same month over the previous five years.Chandrapur was the worst hit with a 73% reduction in groundwater levels. Nagpur district’s groundwater level was down by 52% while Wardha’s was 55% less.The six-district division witnessed an average fall of 0.80 metres in groundwater levels, with the water table dropping to 2.70 metres below ground level this Sept from the five-year average of 1.90 metres for the same month. The assessment is based on readings from 622 observation wells spread across Nagpur, Wardha, Bhandara, Chandrapur, Gadchiroli and Gondia districts.Chandrapur district’s water table fell by 1.25 metres to 2.97 metres below ground level, compared with 1.72 metres during the corresponding period over the last five years.Wardha and Nagpur districts also saw severe depletion. Wardha’s groundwater level was 55% lower than the five-year average, with the water table dropping by 1.24 metres to 3.50 metres below ground level, the lowest in the division. Nagpur district registered a 52% decline, with the water table falling by 1.17 metres to 3.41 metres from an average of 2.24 metres.Bhandara recorded a 46% decline, with groundwater levels dropping by 0.75 metres to 2.42 metres. In contrast, the fall was relatively modest in Gadchiroli and Gondia. Gadchiroli’s water table declined by 0.27 metres, or 16%, to 1.92 metres, while Gondia saw the least impact with a drop of just 0.12 metres, or 6%, to 1.98 metres.The GSDA’s tehsil-wise analysis paints an equally worrying picture. Of the division’s 64 tehsils, 31 recorded a groundwater decline of between one and two metres, while 27 saw a reduction of up to one metre. Only six tehsils reported no fall in groundwater levels.The monitoring network comprises 111 wells in Nagpur district, 112 each in Wardha and Gadchiroli, 134 in Chandrapur, 79 in Gondia and 74 in Bhandara.The findings come amid mounting concerns over drought conditions in the state. Revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, who heads the cabinet sub-committee on drought, said on Monday that soyabean, tur, cotton and maize crops had suffered extensive losses and warned that the upcoming rabi season was unlikely to materialise in many affected areas.Since 1996-97, the GSDA has conducted annual comparisons of rainfall up to the end of Sept and groundwater levels recorded during the first week of Oct against their long-term averages. The exercise, mandated under the Maharashtra Groundwater (Regulation for Drinking Water Purposes) Act, 1993, and its accompanying rules, serves as a key indicator for forecasting drinking water scarcity across the state.
