Water table down, but no need for panic, says expert

The groundwater table has gone down from one metre to three metres in some parts of the State with the peaking of summer.

Palakkad is the worst affected district as the water table has gone down by three metres here, said K.S. Madhu, director of the Groundwater Department.

Besides Palakkad, the water level has receded in Wayanad and Kasaragod districts. However, no panic situation is prevailing in the State as the water level could pick up again with the advent of monsoon. The present level of depletion was within the recoverable range, he said.

District officials have been asked to monitor the extraction of water by commercial and industrial units. Directives have been issued to the industrial units to follow instructions on exploitation levels and random inspections would be held, he said.

Considering the shortage of drinking water, the department has decided to extend support for repairing hand pumps.

It has received around 4,000 applications so far for repairing the pumps that can be used for drawing water from borewells. If required, new borewells will be permitted in water shortage areas, he said.