Sinks Chhattisgarh's water level
THE groundwater level in almost half of Chhattisgarh dipped significantly over one year.
According to the latest report on north and central Chhattisgarh region by the Central Ground Water Board (cgwb), water table in Raipur, Bilaspur, Korba, Rajnandgaon, Mahasamund and Durg districts, has dipped by 4-6.5 metres between November 2007 and October 2008. The board linked it to scanty rainfall and large-scale concrete cover over land.
The data compiled by the board is based on measurements taken at 540 wells across Chhattisgarh. Compared to November 2007 data, 73 per cent of the observation wells registered an average drop of 4.5 metres. In Bilaspur, Durg, Jashpur, Korba, Rajnandgaon and Sarguja districts the water table has gone down by 20 metres.
The water level has fallen below 25 metres in eight blocks in Durg district and two blocks in Bilaspur district, said Ashish Chakravarti, regional director of cgwb. "These blocks are likely to face the worst crisis," said Chakravarti. Officials say these blocks have a large number of borewells and a high rate of concretization.
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