Gurugram's groundwater table recedes again but pace slows this year

GURUGRAM: The city’s pre-monsoon groundwater levels have receded again this year, this time by 0.74 metres compared to 2021, underlining the grave concerns on overextraction that have been a persistent worry for the city for years.
The groundwater level of Gurugram block has fallen to 37.7m below ground level this year. Data from the groundwater cell, however, shows that the city has managed to slow down the pace of water extraction this year compared to last year.In 2019, the city saw a decline of 2.62m, the highest in three years. It saw a fall of 0.36m in 2020 and 0.78m in 2021.The average fall in the past four years is 1.12m.
The city has been perilously close to a water crisis since 2013, when it was categorised as ‘overexploited’ by the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA). Water experts have already established that the city is extracting three times more water than it is recharging. As there are no regularised water connections in over 30% of the city, people in these areas are dependent on groundwater, the groundwater cell said.
Other blocks of Gurugram, meanwhile, have reported a slight improvement in the water table. While Sohna’s water level improved by 0.21m to 25.38m this year (from 25.59m in 2020), Farrukhnagar recorded a 0.2m increase from 20.15m last year to 20.13m in 2022. Similarly, Pataudi’s water level improved from 38.37m in the previous year to 38.19 m this year, a rise of 0.18m. This, the water cell said, is the result of several corrective measures.
Hydrologist VS Lamba from the cell said, “Some areas are yet to get water connections, which is a concern, but the administration is working on the problem. We have been able to reduce the water table fall in recent years by undertaking several measures like ensuring that illegal extraction of water doesn’t take place, spreading awareness on the groundwater crisis and focusing on water harvesting systems.”
In Gurugram, 104 villages fall in the ‘severely groundwater stressed’ category at present. CGWA declared Gurugram as a “dark zone” but illegal groundwater extraction is being carried out openly. According to CGWA, the groundwater extraction rate in Gurugram is 308%.
Environmentalists stressed on the need to map out extraction hotspots in the city. “Gurugram has been facing high extraction of groundwater because of large scale construction activities. Unplanned construction and destruction of natural water bodies and no plans in groundwater recharge patterns are the reasons that the groundwater table is receding every year,” said Vivek Kamboj, a city-based activist.
According to CGWA records, out of 141 blocks in Haryana, 85 blocks (60% of the state’s geographical area) reached the ‘red’ category in 2020 due to groundwater overexploitation. In 2004, CGWA had reported that 55 blocks fell under the ‘red category’, which means that 30 more blocks fall under the distressed category now, a rise of 21%. The annual groundwater withdrawal in Haryana is 137% of its annual extractable groundwater resources, compared to the national average of 63% last year.
Meanwhile, the state government said it is taking remedial steps to improve the groundwater table. “We have directed all construction units to use only treated water and to ensure that they reduce the use of surface water by 20% in a year. We are focusing on replacing surface water with treated water and replacing groundwater with surface water. We have already directed all industries to ensure zero liquid discharge. Teams are visiting every village area in the state to analyse the water gap and to create an action plan,” said Keshni Anand, chairperson of the Haryana Water Resources Authority.