Groundwater table in Mangaluru taluk depletes

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, Nov 3, 2015 : Groundwater table in Mangaluru taluk has depleted by more than eight metres in the last decade.

Quoting government records, Sahyadri Sanchaya, a registered body of green activists, said here on Monday that the groundwater table in the taluk depleted from 9.78 metres in 2004 to 17.40 metres in 2014.

In Belthangady taluk, it depleted from 8.4 metres to 9.8 metres during the same period. In Bantwal taluk the water table depleted from 8.15 metres to 12.18 metres.

Shashidhar Shetty, a member of the sanchaya, told presspersons here on Monday that drilling borewells resulted in groundwater depletion. He said that the main reason for groundwater depleting in Kolar to an extent of 1,500 ft now was the result of government announcing subsidy up to 90 per cent for drilling borwells in 1992. As a result one third of borewells in the State was now in Kolar. After two decades, people in Dakshina Kannada would have to face its impact now as the government had proposed to divert the tributaries of the Nethravati under Yettinahole project, he said. If the project continued the coastal districts would also face a situation similar to Kolar, he said.

Its convener Dinesh Holla said that Doddarayappana Kere in Chickballapur district and Nonachina Koppana Kere near Nelamangala revived about three years ago had water in store now. It showed that reviving, dredging tanks helped store water in parched districts.

Authority

Mr. Holla said that under the River Board Act, 1956 the government should constitute tank development authority for each district. The government issued an order to this effect on September 24, 1994 to have integrated approach for tank management. But it has not been implemented.

Courtesy : The Hindu