Held annually on March 22, World Water Day is a significant occasion to draw the attention of the government and people towards the depleting water table and employ means to revive it. The Municipal Corporation is facing an enormous task to tap potable water to supply it to every home in the fast expanding holy city.
Alarm bells have already rung as the walled city area has witnessed over 100 feet water depletion in the past seven years, compelling the authorities to install borewells for the tubewells at 350 feet deep and more. Depleting water table has also forced the MC to install shallow borewells at the corners of many streets to meet the rising demand of residents.
On the other hand, private establishments do not get borewells dug up less than 350 feet deep.
From time to time, successive governments initiated different measures to limit, if not prevent the groundwater table from falling down in the border district. For instance, under the Central Government initiated ‘Jal Shakti Abhiyan’, 550 saplings were planted in each village over two years ago.
Even there was a proposal to bring canal water to meet the potable water requirement of the city with the financial assistance from the World Bank but that failed to materialise.
Experts are of the view that awareness of saving water has increased among residents. They think the canal network must be strengthened to irrigate land which would end the dependency of farmers on tubewells. It would naturally help recharge water table.