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Apathy may land AUDA residents in deep water Saturday, March 24, 2001

AHMEDABAD: It's cause for concern. The rampant digging of borewells in AUDA areas poses a threat to the already receding water levels, but there is still no regulation on the use of ground water. Consequently, it continues being exploited. Approximately 2,000 borewells in AUDA areas take ground water levels down by 2 to 3 metre every year, say experts from Central Ground Water Board (CGWB). Still at least 500 more bores are being sunk in numerous societies, which have mushroomed over the last couple of years.
The repercussions of the extensive digging of borewells by individual societies as well as gram panchayats are alarming. Meanwhile, the authorities be they AUDA, CGWB or the Gujarat Water Supply and Sewerage Board (GWSSB) remain clueless on how much water is being siphoned away. They have no idea of the extent of damage being caused by the numerous borewells.

It may be recalled that gram panchayats have planned to bring water to the doorsteps of people in hundreds of societies in AUDA areas. This decision has caused more concern than relief. People might be happy now, but experts with an eye on the future are a worried lot.

``Ahmedabad should immediately be made a notified zone on the lines of Gandhinagar if some solution had to be found. As of today, the situation may not seem so grim but the future cannot be guaranteed,'' warns P K Parchure, CGWB scientist.

Potable water is found in aquifers at 250-metre depths this is the water which gram panchayats and other institutions are exploiting. The borewells sunk by societies remove water from depths of 60 to 80 metre. Beyond 250 and 300 metre, the water is saline in nature and not fit for consumption.

``There is water at shallow depths like 10 to 20 metre which may not be fit for consumption, but people can use it for purposes like gardening and cleaning,'' suggests Parchure. Monitoring, regulating and creating mass awareness are among the other ways that experts suggest to stem the problem.

Ironically, the authorities remain ignorant about the extent of damage being caused by these pumps. None of the departments have the exact number of pumps operating at any given time in the city. ``We give permission to build societies and ask people to arrange for water themselves. This they do using a borewell or otherwise. We are not aware,'' says AUDA Chief Executive Authority Bharat Rawal.

``We do not have the means or capacity to enumerate the number of pumps operating in AUDA areas,'' say senior CGWB officials. The GSWWB too claims to be ``involved only in AMC limits'' and claims ignorance about AUDA areas. Estimating that two societies share a pump, the number of pumps jumps to about 2,000. This figure continues to rise even as the water levels continue to do the exact opposite.

The apathy is compounded by the fact that the State Government is not appointing an agency to monitor the situation. Previously, the CGWB head office had contacted the State Government, which said it was busy with drought-relief work.

With no recharging of these resources, AUDA residents may be placed comfortably water wise this summer, but the future is quite uncertain.

 

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