Hyderabad: The groundwater level has fallen 0.67 metres on average in the state as compared to the same period last year, on the back of a poor monsoon.
In its latest status report, the groundwater department has said that the minimum and maximum depth of water below the ground varied from 0.45 metres to 67 metres. The department attributed the lower levels to the 16 per cent deficit rainfall in the water year 2018-19. The state received 724 mm rainfall against the normal 865 mm.
Out of 33 districts, 17 districts comprising 293 mandals had received less rainfall than normal.
Out of the 584 mandals overall, 31 received excess rainfall (+20 per cent of normal), 246 received normal rainfall (-19 to +19 per cent), 293 deficit rainfall (-20 to -59 per cent ) and 14 mandals received scanty rainfall (more than -59%).
According to the report, 33.5 per cent of the state area had water in the range of five to 10 metres below ground level (bgl). Areas with deep water levels (more than 20 m bgl) covered 15.6 per cent of the state or 164 mandals. Of these, 66 mandals showed a higher decline in groundwater level as compared to March last year.
The state average water level in March stood at 13.40 metres below ground level as compared to 12.73 metre bgl last year, showing a fall of 1.52 metres.
The fluctuations in water level during March with respect to the data in May shows a maximum rise of 47.36 metre in Ibrahimpatnam mandal of Ranga Reddy district and fall of 33.59 metre at Aswapuram mandal in Bhadradri district. The report said 41 per cent of the wells had shown a rise and 59 per cent fall in groundwater levels.
Shallow water level in the range of less than five metre below ground level occupies 4.6 per cent of the area, covering parts of Khammam, Suryapet, Nalgonda, Wanaparthy, Manchiryal, Jagtial, Nirmal and Komrambheem districts. These districts have received normal to deficit rainfall.
Water levels in the range of 5 metre to 10 metre below ground level were predominant in the area covered by canals in the northern and eastern districts.
