Endanger Ground Water

KOTTAYAM: The level of groundwater is always a cause of concern in the country whereas the haevy rainfall in Kerala this year has also failed to increase the water level in the state.

A well.

According to the report of Central Ground Water Board done in the per-monsoon season, 12,492 wells across the country have been analyses, out of which, 526 wells are showing water level less than 2 meters bgl (bellow ground level). The Board assessed 849 wells in Kerala and found that 60 of it are showing the water level less than 2 m bgl whereas in 2012 the number was 153.

The Central Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM), Kozhikode is actively conducting programmes in educating students about the conservation, quantity and quality of water in the school levels under the aid of UNICEF (United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund ).

Speaking on the phone, the Director of CWRDM, Dr N B Narasimha Prasad said there are 10,000 mcm (million cubic meters) groundwater is available in Kerala right now, out of which 6,500 mcm is recharged and can be used. Ponds and wells are the conservation resources of water and with the leakages in the ground these are recharged every time.

“The groundwater level in Kerala is not in an alarming position as the rainfall is good this year. Except some parts of Kasargod, Malapuram and Thiruvananthapuram, rest of Kerala is safe for now ,” he said.

In the pre-monsoon season Kerala has recorded 220 mm of rain and in the monsoon it got 664 mm, well above its average rainfall.