Chennai: 'Groundwater table has improved'
CHENNAI: The groundwater table in the city and its suburbs has improved considerably, say experts. In many areas, it is available at a depth of 20ft, they say.
Hydrogeologist J Saravanan said that in areas such as Alwarpet in the core city and at Porur and Virugambakkam in the western region, it is available at a depth of just 15ft.
In areas like Tambaram, Pallavaram, Perungalathur and Vandalur on GST Road, it can be had at a depth between 20ft and 30ft.
“Chennai’s aquifers are replenished well soon after a good spell of rain,” Saravanan said, adding that he had not received any calls from residents about drying up of borewells.
However, based on readings from Metrowater’s observation wells across the city, a senior official of the agency said the improvement was minimal as the rain over the last two months, though welcome, was not continuous enough to make a significant difference in the water levels.
“Chennai’s aquifers are replenished well soon after a good spell of rain,” Saravanan said, adding that he had not received any calls from residents about drying up of borewells.
However, based on readings from Metrowater’s observation wells across the city, a senior official of the agency said the improvement was minimal as the rain over the last two months, though welcome, was not continuous enough to make a significant difference in the water levels.
At the most, he said, the rainfall in June and July would have just permeated the top layer but may not have seeped in deep enough. Only when there is near continuous rain, as in the October-December period during the northeast monsoon, which accounts for more than 60% of the city’s annual rainfall, will there be a significant improve in the groundwater table, he said.
Between February and May there was a slight dip in the groundwater levels, as observed in Metrowater’s observation wells in the corporation’s 15 zones, said the official. In June, there was a slight improvement. Except for Tondiarpet zone, the depletion of the table in the rest of the areas was minimal. In Tondiarpet, the dip in water level was 1.2 ft, the most among the zones, the official said.
Experts and borewell operators insist there has been a lot of improvement. Since the lockdown began in late March, said I Annadurai of Thangam Borewells, there has been no call from residents for sinking new borewells.
Others say there will be no repeat of the situation during the summer of 2019, one of the worst in the city
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