Kerala - Kozhikode   

Do wells in close proximity cause depletion in water level?

By Our Special Correspondent

KOZHIKODE, FEB. 22. Does digging of wells in close proximity to each other affect availability of water in them?

Many believe it would. There has been a spate of court cases also to prevent digging of wells out of such fear that it would lead to water scarcity.

Well interference

Water management experts, however, are of the view that it would not be always so.

`Well interference', which is the term used by specialists in the field to describe this phenomenon, debated this point at a workshop organised here recently by the Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM).

The term `well interference' refers to a situation in which drawing of water from one well leads to lowering of water-level in the neighbouring well.

Several instances of such interference have been reported from many places in the State. Conventional wells as well as borewells are reported to cause this problem.

Though the participants in the seminar agreed such complaints are rampant, they were of the view that it may be true in some places but not everywhere.

Going to court

However, popular belief is so strong that people go to court when an attempt is made to dig a conventional well or a borewell near their own well, said K. V. Mohanan of the State Ground Water Department (SGWD).

But in a study conducted by Narasimha Prasad, of CWRDM, it was found that only seven out of 60 high-yielding borewells in the midland regions of Thrissur have reported problems due to well-interference. He found the problems were localised.

Similar finding

A similar finding was thrown up in another study conducted in Kasaragod and Malappuram districts by Shaji of the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB).

In a case study conducted in Kozhikode by M. Nazimuddin, a CWRDM scientist, it was found by making rain-harvesting compulsory any ill-effects of having too many wells in a small area could be minimised.

Santhosh Thambi of the National Institute of Technology-Calicut (NITC) and S. P. Rajagopalan of CWRDM expressed the view that it was possible to reduce the problem of depletion of water because of well interference with the help of mathematical models. But these are useful only for solving regional issues, not localised problems.

The main reasons for well-interference in the State are believed to be increase in demand for groundwater, decreasing groundwater recharge due to changes in land use, existing higher frequency and duration of pumping of water, high density of existing wells, improper construction of wells and lack of proper awareness among the people and absence of effective groundwater laws.

According to experts, each instance of well interference should be treated as a site-specific issue.

S. R. Tampta, Regional Director of the Central Ground Water Board, is of the view that there need not be any restriction on constructing a borewell or a conventional well if it is for domestic use.

But when larger schemes are planned detailed pumping tests should be conducted and the effects of pumping on nearby wells monitored before the scheme is commissioned, said E. J. James, executive director CWRDM, who presided over the workshop.

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