The groundwater level, especially in western parts of Prakasam district, has dipped further by 2.10 metres in the month of April with severe drought gripping the district for the fifth consecutive year.
The region has witnessed dry spell in 11 of the last 15 years, putting paid to concerted efforts by government and non-governmental organisations to improve levels by constructing water harvesting structures to make available water at a depth of 3 m after rains and 8 m before rains.
Lone exception
The groundwater table went down by 2.10 m in the district on an average following 56% deficit rainfall. The level went down to 23.82 m during April as against 21.72 m during the corresponding period last year. It is available within the ideal 3 m depth only in Karamchedu.
“We have clamped a ban on digging borewells in 226 over-exploited villages,” Ground Water Deputy Director M. Nagamalleswara Rao says while sharing the piezometer readings from across the district.
More villages will be added to stop further deterioration in availability, he adds.
The groundwater table fell to 66.22 min Dadawada village, near, Kumarole adopted under the Adarsh Gram Yojana by former YSR Congress MP Y.V. Subba Reddy. The water table went down by another 2.06 m from 64.66 m during the corresponding period last year in the village coming under Markapur division.
Fluoride level up
The prolonged dry spell has led to increase in the fluoride level more than the permissible limit of 1.5 parts per million (PPM) in 48 of the 56 mandals making life miserable to the people who cannot source the precious liquid even after sinking borewells up to a depth of 800 ft.
The fall in water table was maximum (15.19 m) in Veligandla mandal and least in N.G. Padu mandal (0.17 m). Ground water is available at a depth of 3.01 m to 8 m in 11 mandals, between 8 m and 20 m in 25 mandals and beyond 20 m in 19 mandals.
However, conservation efforts have paid dividends in the coastal region with ground water available at just 2.47 m in rice-rich Karamchedu mandal coming under the Krishna Western Delta ayacut, Parchur(3.53 m), Darsi(4.24 m) and Kandukur(4.29 m).
The ground water recharge after accounting for surface runoff and evaporation was 22.67 tmcft.
