Blessed with good rains in the past year, Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri district is all recharged.
A year-over-year scenario, according to official reports, shows an average rise in groundwater level by 4.06 metres. The figures were compared between June 2019 and May 2020, with variations noted from 38 piezometer or observation wells located in the 17 mandals.
Though Yadagirigutta mandal received just normal rainfall, it recorded the highest rise of 14.13 metres, and Rajapet mandal with excess rainfall and the maximum five piezometer locations, was second at 6.8 metres. Of all the mandals, Sansthan Narayanpur remained the only one where water level went low by half a metre (0.51 m).
And geographically, it was also estimated that 20% of the district, an area of 986.19 sq. km in five mandals, where water level was more than 20 metre-deep, has now reduced to 5%, or an area of 164.59 sq.km and one mandal.
According to Telangana State Development Planning Society, for the ground water testing period, the district received normal rainfall in 13 mandals, excess in Pochampally (26%), Ramannapet (33%), Rajapet (37%), and large excess rainfall in Turkapalle mandal (67%).
State schemes
For officials, in addition to the rains, man-made interventions such as schemes like Mission Kakatiya, the State’s minor irrigation tank rehabilitation, and Mission Bhagiratha, the scheme providing tapped drinking water to every household, were crucial too. “The district has more than 1,000 minor tanks. With tapped drinking water, even if 30% evaporation of surface water is considered at the source or at consumption point, there is lesser wastage,” district ground water officer Jyothi Kumar said.
Also, Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri witnessed change of cropping pattern from paddy, which consumes more water, to others, and hence less ground water was extracted. “The rise is a new record, at least since 2014,” he added.
But, unlike other mandals, why did the ground water level of S. Narayanpur, which also received normal rain and has one piezometer location like four others, go further down? The officer pointed out that the mandal’s topographic conditions, in hills, slopes and rocks, were factors for surface run-off.
According to data from the Irrigation Department, of the total 1, 207 minor irrigation tanks in the district, S. Narayanpur has 71, close to Yadagirigutta, the topper with 75 tanks.
And although Mothkur and Valigonda have the maximum 125 and 123 tanks respectively, and received rainfall like Yadagirigutta, they did not record more than 3.60 metre rise.
Similarly, Pochampally mandal with just 39 tanks and having received excess rainfall also did not record more than 0.84 metre rise.
