Departments mull solutions to dwindling groundwater levels in Guwahati

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: The groundwater level in Guwahati and other towns has become a major cause of concern, and several measures were mulled to resolve the issue of groundwater extraction and its conservation at a high-level meeting of the departments concerned. The need to devise comprehensive guidelines for regulating groundwater extraction was emphasized in the meeting. 

The level of groundwater in Guwahati and other urban areas has been in a semi-critical stage since 2022, as depletion continues under the pressure of increasing urbanization and population.

According to the Chief Engineer, Irrigation Department, in a significant step towards conserving precious and gradually dwindling groundwater resources and to streamline groundwater resources in the state under the Assam State Ground Water Authority, a crucial meeting was held among the Industry Department, Assam Geology and Mining Department, Soil Conservation, Central Ground Water Board, and National Informatics Centre, apart from the nodal department of Irrigation.

The Chief Engineer said, "The focal point of the meeting was the introduction of an online portal dedicated to facilitating statewide access to groundwater service. The industry department has developed a portal for onboarding NOC applications for groundwater extraction in the Sewa Setu portal. It was decided that the Irrigation Department and the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) will collaboratively focus on refining the process flow necessary for the development of the NOC application portal. By simplifying the application process for obtaining groundwater extraction permits, the initiative is set to catalyse industrial and commercial activities, thereby stimulating economic development."

The groundwater level reaching a semi-critical stage has come to light in the Central Ground Water Board's (CGWB) recent report. The report considers the stage of groundwater extraction as safe if the extraction is less than 70 percent. If the extraction limit exceeds 70 percent, it is semi-safe or semi-critical. The Central Ground Water Board report considers the stage of groundwater extraction in Guwahati semi-critical.

According to CGWB sources, water consumption in Guwahati and other urban areas in the state has gone up manifold due to the mushrooming growth of apartments and commercial activities. If the authorities concerned cannot take measures to prevent the rampant extraction and use of groundwater now, the situation may escalate in other urban areas in the state, as it has been happening in Guwahati for the last few years.

 Also Read: Groundwater depletion in Guwahati: Issues with sustainable perspective

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