The water situation in telangana is becoming worse as average groundwater levels fell to 7.72 meters below ground level (mbgl) in january of this year—the lowest levels in five years. There are concerning drops of over 3 mbgl in the districts of Nagarkurnool, nalgonda, and Vikarabad. january 2020 saw the State's average groundwater level drop to 8.88 mbgl, which was the previous record.
 
The groundwater levels have been about 6 mbgl for the past five years, but this year they have drastically dropped by 1.5 m, presenting a significant difficulty for the State. In telangana, the average january water depth below the surface has been measured as follows: 8.88 mbgl in 2020; 6.56 mbgl in 2021; 6.16 mbgl in 2022; 6.22 mbgl in 2023; and 7.72 mbgl in 2024.
 
The declining levels of groundwater pose a danger to agricultural activities, which are already impacted by the scarcity of water in projects on the krishna and Godavari rivers. More than half of Telangana's total cultivated land depends on groundwater for crop production, with over 27.5 lakh agricultural connections used to pump water from agricultural borewells.
 
The most recent statistics on groundwater levels, which date back to january of this year, show that, for the first time in the previous five years, groundwater levels have decreased in every district. The state's deepest groundwater level, 11.98 mbgl, was recorded in the Vikarabad district. The district of Nagarkurnool, however, saw the largest decline in groundwater levels from the previous year—3.57 metres.
 
To safeguard their crops, farmers are compelled in several areas to drill new borewells on their farms. Following a decline in the average groundwater level in the nalgonda area to 8.68 mbgl in january from 5.27 mbgl in the previous year, more than 70 additional borewells were constructed in the small community of Koppole alone.
 
To safeguard their crops, farmers are compelled to drill additional borewells. Each village's ayacut regions saw the excavation of at least fifty new borewells. Due to increasing demand, the borewell drillers also raised their fees from Rs 60 to Rs 70 per foot, according to M Saidi Reddy, the head of the All india Kisan Sabha from Nalgonda.
 
The state administration is being forced to do a thorough assessment in order to determine which villages and habitations are experiencing a drinking water crisis since the situation is also having an impact on the availability of drinking water in many locations. According to officials, the State government recently allotted Rs 1 crore from the Chief Minister's Special Funds to each assembly seat in order to solve the local drinking water demands.
 
"We are putting together a backup plan to deal with the scarcity of drinking water throughout the summer. Plans are in place to utilise as much water as possible from all of the reservoirs that are accessible to meet the demand for drinking water, according to a Department of rural development and panchayat raj official.
 
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SIBY JEYYA

20/02/2024 08:55 AM