MYSURU: Mysuru district, which had been facing a dry spell continuously for years leading to water scarcity, has recorded a rise in the groundwater table thanks to incessant rainfall for over two months this year. With rise in the groundwater level and water bodies up to the brim, sinking of borewells in both rural and urban areas has stopped.
This has also brought respite to those living in rocky areas like Bilikere, Yelawala, Jaipura and Kavalande which had been witnessing water scarcity so acute that the Rural Development Department had to supply water through tankers in the previous years. The situation changed somewhat after 2017 when the region recorded normal rainfall. But it was the incessant rainfall this year that has increased the groundwater table from 1 metre to 2.9 metre across the district.
According to officials, the groundwater level in Mysuru district has increased by an average of 1.85 metres. Now, the groundwater level in HD Kote is 10.06 meters, Hunsur 10.99 metres, KR Nagar 5.70 metres, Mysuru 7.23 metres, Nanjangud 5.47 metres, Periyapatna 3.63 metres and T Narsipur 6.53 metres (1.20 metres more compared to the previous year).
Geologist Choudary said they have been recording water levels in a few wells for the last couple of years. He said that summer will not pose a problem this year due to the availability of groundwater. Mysuru district has around 50,000 irrigation borewells, 10,000 borewells for rural and 3,000 borewells for urban drinking water.