The Puducherry Government is keen on ensuring proper utilisation of groundwater and it also wants to prevent pollution and excess withdrawal by industrial units, Chief Minister N. Rangasamy said here on Sunday.
Releasing a DVD on World Water Day, he said that the government on its part had started generating awareness among the people and industries that groundwater should never be disturbed and that it should be conserved since Puducherry depends entirely on the availability of subsoil water.
The Puducherry Government had already taken a policy decision not to permit industries that would pose a threat to groundwater and cause pollution.
The government has been implementing this decision to keep polluting industries at bay.
Mr. Rangasamy pointed out that the construction of check dams and bed dams across Puducherry had started showing desired results as could be seen now in the increase of the groundwater table in Puducherry.
The indications are so strong that check dams and other structures have come to prove their relevance.
S. Sivakandan, Chairman, Puducherry Ground Water Authority pointed out that Puducherry had been classified ‘over exploited’ category in terms of groundwater extraction.
Rapid urbanisation, unregulated extraction for irrigation and industrial purposes had led to steep decline in the level. Salt water intrusion along the coastal aquifer systems had also resulted in the deterioration of quality of the groundwater.
A study had revealed that aquifers in the Bahour region had been affected due to high seawater intrusion.
Only the first 10 meters of the shallow aquifer had quality water and the rest had been intruded by seawater.
Seawater intrusion was also noticed in areas located 6 km from the coast and they had been classified under over exploited category. New borewells are not permitted in these areas. In Puducherry, agriculture accounted for around 80 per cent of groundwater withdrawal followed by domestic usage at 16 per cent and industries at 4 per cent according to the Central Ground Water Authority.
The Puducherry Ground Water Authority has taken up various regulatory measures in notified areas including regular checks against illegal borewells.
