RAIPUR,CG,INDIA: The State-Level Committee (SLC) recently approved the "Dynamic Ground Water Resources of Chhattisgarh" for March 2024 during a meeting held at Mantralaya, Nava Raipur, Atal Nagar. The meeting, chaired by the Secretary of the Water Resources Department (WRD), focused on the re-assessment of groundwater resources across the state.

Attendees included officials from the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), WRD, Ground Water Survey, Department of Agriculture, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), Public Health Engineering (PHED), Panchayat and Rural Development, and the State Watershed Management Agency.

Dr. Prabir K. Nai, Regional Director of the CGWB North Central Chhattisgarh Region and Member Secretary of the committee, provided an introductory overview emphasizing the importance of accurate groundwater resource estimation for sustainable water management. As part of the proceedings, the "District Groundwater Information Booklet for Dhamtari," produced by CGWB, was released in Hindi, following directives from a prior meeting.

CGWB scientist Abhishek presented an overview of the current groundwater scenario in Chhattisgarh based on data compiled up to March 2024. Using the GEC-2015 methodology and administrative blocks as the primary unit of assessment, the state’s Total Annual Ground Water Recharge was estimated at 14.18 billion cubic meters (bcm), with an Annual Extractable Ground Water Resource of 12.93 bcm. Current annual groundwater extraction was recorded at 6.12 bcm, with the Stage of Groundwater Extraction at 47.32%. Twenty-one blocks were identified as Semi-Critical and five as Critical.

The report noted that Chhattisgarh's Stage of Groundwater Extraction figures were relatively better compared to the national average of 59.26% as of March 2023. Nationally, agriculture accounted for 87% of groundwater use, domestic use for 11%, and industrial use for 2%. In Chhattisgarh, agriculture consumed 86%, domestic use 12%, and industry 2%. Groundwater recharge in the state was higher from rainfall, contributing 61.51%, while other sources like canal seepage and irrigation return flow accounted for 39.49%.

PHED Engineer-in-Chief Dr. M.L. Agarwal raised concerns about the sustainability of groundwater resources, especially for rural domestic water supplies, citing issues with tube wells running dry in summer due to excessive groundwater extraction for irrigation.

The committee praised the State Ground Water Department and CGWB for producing the comprehensive report, which is expected to guide future groundwater management and development efforts in Chhattisgarh. Dr. Nai stressed the need for immediate measures, such as halting the use of bore wells for pond filling and encouraging crop diversification to better manage groundwater demand.

The SLC unanimously approved the Ground Water Resource Assessment (GWRA) for 2024, marking a crucial step toward sustainable water management in the state.