Survey to assess groundwater resources in different districts

A survey is being carried out by the Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM) officials as part of the second phase of Jalanidhi project to ascertain the status of ground water in a number of districts in which the project is being implemented.

The survey aims to prepare a water security plan for the Jalanidhi project and CWRDM scientists are implementing it in more than 25 panchayats of Palakkad, Kozhikode and Kannur which have been selected for the second phase of the Jalanidhi project.

“The whole objective of the survey is to develop, improve and increase the quality of ground water resources. During the first phase of Jalanidhi, such a process was not carried out and this affected the effectiveness of the project. Hence we are carrying out this survey to understand which panchayat needs what. We expect that this step would increase the effectiveness of the project. A number of agencies are carrying this out across the state and in the Malabar, it is the CWRDM which has taken this up,” said a CWRDM official, who is part of the survey team.

The survey team is focusing mainly on three parameters- the present status of water resources, the amount of surface water and the water quality.

“We are collecting these details and are preparing a ground water map for different panchayats. Using this, we can decide the finer details of how the Jalanidhi project has to be implemented in the district including where the groundwater needs recharging and how to do it,” he said. The team also plans to organise the data on a digital platform so that it can be used for future projects as well.

The team expects to submit a final report before December 31. More than Rs 761 crore would be spent on improving the drinking water supply across the state as part of the Jalanidhi project.