Delayed rains may cause groundwater levels to dip below last year's marks

If rains don’t hit the northwestern and central parts of India soon, the water table in these regions may fall below last year’s levels, a preliminary assessment has revealed.

Last year, the ground water levels in northwestern states during the pre-monsoon period (April-June) was estimated at 10-20 metres below ground level, said a senior Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) official. And, the near absence of rains in these regions since October could result in a further decline in these levels, the official added.

“Though in general, the water table in northwestern parts of the country, including Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and some areas of Gujarat, has been falling at a fast pace, the trend might have been accentuated in the last few months,” the official said. This could spell trouble for millions of farmers in India’s primary foodgrain-growing regions, as about 80 per cent of the arable land in Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh is irrigated.

MONSOON BLUES

• Between January 2011 and January 2012, groundwater levels in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and south Gujarat dropped by about 2 metres
• Of about 15,000 wells monitored, 53.2% recorded a fall in groundwater levels, 46.7% saw a rise
• India's southwest monsoon in June has been 31 per cent below-normal
• The met department has forecast normal rains in July, August and September

Punjab and Haryana produce significant quantities of paddy (de-husked) rice during the kharif season and are the primary contributors to the central pool.

The CGWB monitors water levels both before and after the southwest monsoon season. The pre-monsoon monitoring is carried out in the months of April, May and June, while post-monsoon monitoring is carried out after September. The final data on pre-monsoon ground water levels across the country would be released in few weeks.

In April, May and June 2011, ground water levels in north Gujarat, parts of Haryana and western Rajasthan was estimated at about 40 metres below ground level. “Ground water levels do not drop instantly; it takes a couple of years of uneven rains to pull these down. Because of low rains in the last few months in the northern parts of the country, we are anticipating a fall in the levels,” the official said.

The CGWB data shows between January 2011 and January 2012, ground water levels in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and south Gujarat dropped by two metres below ground level. Of about 15,000 wells monitored across the country, about 53.22 per cent showed a decline in water levels, while 46.73 per cent showed a rise

In June, the southwest monsoon in the country was about 31 per cent below normal, raising concern rains, the lifeline to about 45 per cent of the total agricultural land in the country, would be below normal this year. Though the India Meteorological Department had, in a recent forecast, said the monsoon in July, August and September would be normal, so far, actual rains have belied the claims. Large parts of Punjab, Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra are yet to receive the first monsoon showers.