Groundwater levels fall sharply across Karimnagar district

Karimnagar district is witnessing a sharp decline in groundwater levels, with several borewells drying up and concerns growing over drinking water availability and irrigation. Officials warn that inadequate monsoon rainfall could worsen the situation, affecting agriculture and reservoir inflows.

Karimnagar: People have begun to face difficulties as the groundwater table in the district has declined drastically. Borewells have already dried up in Karimnagar town, Choppadandi, Gangadhara, Ramadugu, Chigurumamidi and other areas.

Officials say the situation is alarming in Karimnagar town, which has registered a 4.62-metre drop in the groundwater table within four months. The water table, which stood at 8.76 metres in February, has fallen to 13.38 metres now.

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Even areas such as Kothirampur, Kattarampur and others located close to the Lower Manair Dam (LMD) reservoir are reeling under a water crisis. A similar situation prevails in Vidyanagar and areas located on the town outskirts. As a result, people have now begun to depend on municipal water supply as well as water tankers.

The situation is similar in other parts of the district. There has been a 1.71-metre drop in the groundwater table across the district. In February, water was available at a depth of 7.2 metres. However, it declined to 8.44 metres in May. In the wake of weather experts’ prediction that El Nino is likely to impact the Southwest Monsoon, people, especially farmers, are worried about a possible shortfall in rainfall.

According to Groundwater Department authorities, the water table would decline further if adequate rainfall is not recorded during June and July before El Nino strengthens. Moreover, irrigation projects, which are already reeling under a water crisis, may not receive adequate inflows. If that happens, water may not be available for the cultivation of crops during the Yasangi season.

Presently, only 6 tmc of water is available in the LMD as against its storage capacity of 24 tmc. Except for Choppadandi, Ramadugu and Gangadhara, all other mandals, including Karimnagar town, depend on the LMD for drinking water purposes. It could become a major problem if water levels in the reservoir decline further.