Copious rains and a vigorous monsoon this year have resulted in a significant rise in the groundwater table in Mysuru district.
The rise has been recorded in the seven taluks. The average rise across the district has been pegged at 3.14 meters as per measurements till June 2018 when compared to the water table readings taken in June 2017. The data includes readings from the undivided taluk of H.D. Kote from which Sargur was recently hived out.
Senior geologist K.V.R. Choudhary in the District Ground Water Office told The Hindu that heavy to very heavy rains this year helped augment groundwater recharge resulting in a significant rise in the water table across the region.
Mysuru district received 132 mm of rainfall during June 2018 against a normal of 89 mm and the cumulative rainfall from January 1 to July 27 is 583 mm against a normal of 410 mm of rains, according to Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre.
Mr. Choudhary said the rise in the water table in June 2018 in comparison to June 2017 was by 3.03 m in H.D. Kote taluk, 2.29 m in Hunsur taluk, 4.36 m in K.R. Nagar, 4.49 m in Mysuru, 4.06 m in Nanjangud, 2.59 m in Periyapatana and 1.27 m in T. Narsipura taluk. However, the rate of recharge in places like Dodda Kavalande in Nanjangud taluk is less given the terrain and absence of command area.
Generally, the month to month comparison shows a significant rise in the water table in the seven taluks which augurs well for the availability of water once the monsoon recedes and summer sets in.
Explaining the rise, geologists said very little groundwater extraction takes places during the monsoon compared to the summer months when the extraction is at the highest level for both drinking and agriculture without a corresponding recharge. Mr. Choudhary said heavy rains, coupled with the fact that all water bodies in the command area were full, have helped increase the rate of recharge.
There are 59 monitoring wells in the district where the readings are taken by the digital water level recorders that are installed. It not only provides the data pertaining to the water table depth but also records the fluctuation in depth. Each of the monitoring wells are a distance of not less than 8 to 15 km between them and the readings are taken at the end of every month.
“The latest data on groundwater table is based on the readings from 55 monitoring wells as four of them have been filled up with silt and hence no reading could be taken,” said Mr. Choudhary.
