Deep secret

Groundwater is not only located miles below the surface of the earth, information about it is as hard to come by. Officials from the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) are not only cagey about sharing information on current groundwater levels, they provide novel excuses for not doing so, even though the information has not been classified as confidential or sensitive. After several visits to CGWB functionaries in search of this information, one senior official, summed up the situation. How can one get information on groundwater levels so easily, he said, after all, it is not like going to the pond and fetching a bucket of water, you have to dig deep for it. If that’s the attitude, it is small wonder that India is headed for a water crisis.