Heavy Rains Boost Groundwater Sources in Rayalaseema

Anantapur:Hopes have risen over an improvement in the ground water sources in Rayalaseema region following the heavy rains, the floods in Krishna basin and the 40tmc-ft allocations from the Handri Neeva Sujala Shravanthi project apart from the constant flow towards HLMC from Tungabhadra Dam.

The groundwater table fell during the past one year due to rain-deficit conditions and massive failure of south west monsoon across the region the last year.

A deep depletion of groundwater resulted in thousands of bore wells drying up in the Anantapur Satya Sai and Annamayya districts. The situation appeared worse in Satya Sai district, where mandals of Madakasira and Penukonda located in the highest peak of the state reported groundwater availability at a depth of 14 metres.

The water table in Rayalaseema region was at 8.45 metres in July 2023 but depleted to 13.69 metres by May 2024, showing a deficit of 3.17 metres.

However, after rains during the South West Monsoon season, the water table rose to 11.61 metres and hopes rose about an improvement in the situation.

The plight appeared worse in Satya Sati district where the water table at a depth of 9.28 metres in June 2023 depleted to 20.44 metres by May 2024 and 4.61 metres down in a year’s span.

Thousands of bore wells dried up and this hit the horticulture crops, mainly betel nut, mango and pomegranate orchards in a span of a year following the deep depletion of groundwater sources.

The water table had previously improved due to filling of the irrigation and summer storage tanks across the region with waters of Krishna and Tungabhadra, along with the filling of reservoirs under the HNSS project.

After Satya Sai district, Annamayya had suffered a depletion of ground water levels. The water level at 10 metres depth by July last year suddenly fell to 16.81 metres this May. The water level went down at an average of 5.36 metres and this badly hit the horticulture crops.

Similarly, Anantapur district faced a deficit level of 4.75 metres depth after the water level fell to 15.22 metres in May 2024.

The ground water department has assessed that the water levels would improve across the region following the filling of irrigation and summer storage tanks as also the reservoirs under the HNSS project this rainy season.

“Farmers can protect their orchards and take up cultivation of paddy and other crops by using groundwater sources for a period of three or more years,” officials proposed.