Development and water resources management
The driving factor of any development activity is the availability of water resources. Kerala, the land of 44 rivers and good rainfall, however, is facing a shortage of water. People in the State, which has a high population density, use more water for their daily needs. Modern home appliances also use more water than manual work. Hence, the groundwater level remains the same in some places, while in others, it goes down without adequate replenishment.
The State government is mulling a rule to ensure recharging of groundwater by the user so that the water table does not dip to dangerous levels. Any large development will have to ensure recharge of groundwater through stipulated measures.
Groundwater blocks are divided into overexploited, critical, semi-critical and safe. Five out of the 152 blocks in the State are overexploited. These are Athiyannur in Thiruvananthapuram district, Kodungallur in Thrissur, Chittoor in Palakkad, Kozhikode and Kasaragod.
There are 15 critical blocks and 30 semi-critical ones across the State, leaving only 102 blocks safe for development activities. The soil thickness in the State is less than in other States. This is one factor why rainwater is not absorbed well. In many areas, the thickness is only 15-20 metres. In hilly areas, the depth goes down to 2-5 metres. Hence, much of the rainwater is lost. It is up to the people to use water judiciously so that all can share quality water.The groundwater data collected by the State department is an important aspect in water supply.
SHYAMA RAJAGOPAL
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