Recharge wells being built to boost water table

During rains, the water will seep into these wells and push up the water table

Collector S.A. Raman inspecting the construction of a recharge well at Kaniyambadi block.— PHOTO: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

An age-old practice is receiving a modern twist to improve the water table in Kaniyambadi block of Vellore district. Recharge wells, also known as ring wells (‘urai kinaru’ in Tamil), are being built in 21 panchayats of Kaniyambadi block to improve the water table.

Officials of the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) said the workforce of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme was engaged in building the recharge wells, with the technical support of Naganadhi River Rejuvenation Project, a non-governmental organisation.

“The aim of constructing the recharge wells is to conserve rainwater and increase the water table. It is being carried out on a pilot basis in Kaniyambadi block. Water from the stream will flow into these wells,” a senior official said. They would carry out an impact study to see how this helped in improving water table for one to two years.

Chandrasekaran Kuppan, director of Naganadhi River Rejuvenation Project and The Art of Living teacher, said the government had issued work orders to build 319 recharge wells in 21 panchayats in Kaniyambadi block under MGNREGA. The NGO is concentrating on the 366 square kilometre catchment area of Naganadhi river to rejuvenate it. The river has more than 800 km length of streams covering approximately 62 villages.

“A part of Naganadhi river’s catchment area lies in the 21 panchayats in Kaniyambadi block. Work is on in 11 villages now. Till now, we have completed 28 recharge wells,” he said.

On Saturday, Collector S.A. Raman inspected the works to build the wells at Vallam village in the block.

Earlier, the ring wells were used to fetch water, now it was used to increase the water level, he said.

In fact, the model had been successful in rejuvenating Vedavathi river in Chikmagalur of Karnataka where the NGO had built 300 recharge wells. “We are constructing another 5,000 here this year. We have rejuvenated three rivers in Karnataka — Vedavathi, Kumudavathi and Palar at its origin in Karnataka,” he said.

In Vellore district, the NGO in 2014 built five recharge wells at Salamanatham village, he said. “It rained three times after we built the wells. Water from the stream had flown into the recharge wells. The people of the village informed us that farm wells that had been dry for 10 to 15 years saw water following the rains.”

On an average, these recharge wells were 20-foot deep, 15-foot long, and six-foot wide, he added.

Water does not flow into the river directly. “Once the groundwater level increases, water reaches the lakes in the second year, and then flows into the river in the third year following three monsoons,” he said. Periasamy, project officer of DRDA, Vellore, was present.