5 months ago
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After a spread of astir 5 years, the Water Resources Department (WRD) volition commencement enactment successful January to instal artificial recharge shafts crossed 23 districts to replenish groundwater level successful over-exploited and captious blocks successful the State.
While artificial recharge shafts person been installed successful the past, the WRD’s State Ground and Surface Water Resources Data Centre volition instrumentality the task connected a ample standard for the archetypal clip successful respective years to boost the groundwater table.
The task involves drilling 576 artificial recharge shafts crossed districts, including Tirupattur, Vellore, Karur, Ranipet, Thanjavur, Salem, Cuddalore, and Villupuram. Recharge shafts would besides beryllium installed successful Tirunelveli, Ramanathapuram, and Sivaganga to amended declining h2o quality. Places similar Chennai would beryllium covered successful the adjacent phase.
Tender is being finalised for the ₹6.74 crore project, and administrative process has delayed the work. Officials of the WRD said the vertical structures would transmission rainwater runoff into heavy aquifers and recharge groundwater successful areas experiencing terrible depletion.
Sites person been chosen based connected lithology, declining h2o levels and quality, arsenic indicated successful survey reports prepared by a squad of geologists. These structures would beryllium constructed adjacent h2o bodies and retention structures similar cheque dams to guarantee faster infiltration.
According to the Central Ground Water Board’s ‘National Compilation connected Dynamic Groundwater Resources of India 2025,’ astir 32.91% of the 313 appraisal units successful taluk level person been identified arsenic over-exploited, portion 7.35% units autumn nether the captious class wherever much than 90% of disposable groundwater has been extracted. Tirupattur, Vellore, Salem, and Perambalur are among the districts wherever implicit 75% of blocks person been identified arsenic over-exploited.
However, the State’s full yearly groundwater recharge has marginally accrued from 21.51 cardinal cubic metre (bcm) successful 2024 to 22.61 bcm this year. According to CGWB, the signifier of groundwater extraction of the State has declined marginally from 74.26% past twelvemonth to 73.50% this year.
Officials of the WRD said the structures would beryllium drilled to a extent ranging from 10 metre to 100 metre to scope heavy aquifers, and alteration 30% much recharge than earthy process. About 100 of them would besides relation arsenic monitoring wells, adding to the existing web of astir 4,300 monitoring wells crossed the State.
Officials said erstwhile the recharge shafts are installed successful 4 months, groundwater interaction would beryllium studied done monthly and yearly assessments. “We expect immoderate blocks to determination to semi-critical and harmless class successful the adjacent fewer years. The interaction of the structures tin beryllium felt for a radius of 500 metre to 1 km,” said an official.
