S. K. Ambast, Chairman, Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), on Sunday cautioned Kerala to be on guard against overexploitation of groundwater resources.
Dr. Ambast was speaking on the subject ‘Challenges and opportunities for sustainable groundwater management’ at a seminar on the State’s water resources sector held as part of the Keraleeyam 2023 celebrations.
At the moment Kerala does not have any of its 152 blocks in the ‘over-exploited’ category. But there are three blocks listed as ‘critical’ and 30, as ‘semi-critical.’ The State should build future preparedness to prevent over-exploitation, he said.
As far as the State’s ‘dynamic ground water resources’ are concerned, extraction for all uses is currently 2.73 billion cubic metres (BCM). The net groundwater available for future use is 2.18 BCM. Challenges faced by Kerala include the limited ground water resource, the increase in dependence on it, drying up of dug wells and springs in highland areas, and quarrying and sand mining, Dr. Ambast said.
Statistical data shows that Kerala is likely to face more drought-like situations in future, noted hydrologist E. J. James said. He was speaking on the theme ‘Water Resources Management — A Kerala Perspective.’ He called for measures to extend water supply to remote areas and linking the 70-off reservoirs in the State with drinking water supply schemes. In his presentation, he also stressed the need to revisit the performance of water supply schemes of the Kerala Water Authority and the Kerala Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (Jalanidhi).
Sudhir Kumar, Director, National Institute of Hydrology, underlined the need to be sensitive to the health of the Western Ghats and its impact on hydrology. He was speaking on the significance of Western Ghats in the water resources of peninsular India. He also underlined the need for mapping and strengthening of springs in the headwaters of river basins.
Kerala is placing emphasis on protecting its water sources and implementing water supply schemes in a timely and sustainable manner, Water Resources Minister Roshy Augustine, who chaired the session, said.
A. K. Gosain, Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology - Delhi, spoke on ‘Water security and sustainable development.’ K. P. Sudheer, Executive Vice-President, Kerala State Council for Science, Technology, and Environment (KSCSTE); Swapna Panickal, Scientist, Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), and Manoj P. Samuel, Centre for Water Resources Development and Management, also spoke.
