CHENNAI: Following the North-East monsoon, significant changes in groundwater levels have been observed across the state. While 13 districts have seen notable improvements, compared to last year, 24 districts have witnessed a decline.
The groundwater levels in southern districts that received heavy rainfall recently - Tirunelveli, Tenkasi, Thoothukudi, Kanyakumari, and Virudhunagar - have improved compared to the previous year. However, northern regions including Tiruvannamalai, Vellore, Cuddalore and Villupuram are experiencing a decline.
Data accessed by TNIE reveals a substantial improvement in Tirunelveli, a district often in the news for its dire groundwater situation. The groundwater level, which was at a depth of 5m last year, has improved to 2.37m.
However, the situation is starkly different in Dharmapuri, with groundwater levels plummeting to 7.29 m compared to 3.6 m last year. Namakkal follows suit, with levels dropping to 6.27m from 3.79m previously.
A senior official from the Water Resources Department told TNIE, “Some districts like Cuddalore, Tiruvallur Tiruvannamalai and so on were facing North East monsoon rainfall deficit. Besides, the usage of groundwater for agriculture, industries and real estate has been on the rise and as a result the state is experiencing a dip in groundwater level in many districts,” adding, “Steps are being taken to increase groundwater levels by building up artificial water storage across the state.”