For groundwater depletion, Bilaspur admn mulls GPS on borewell drillers
Raipur: Amid concerns over continuous depletion in groundwater levels, the Bilaspur district administration is planning to install
GPS tracking systems
on all
borewell drilling
machines to monitor and curb unauthorised and illegal groundwater extraction by digging during the summer months.
The initiative aims to track the real-time movement and operations of these machines.
Bilaspur collector Sanjay Agrawal convened a meeting with borewell drilling contractors on Saturday, underscoring the critical need for
water conservation
and seeking their cooperation in this endeavour. Approximately 50 contractors were present at the meeting. "We are planning to implement the GPS installation method, which is currently in its initial phase," Agrawal informed attendees.Referring to a report by the Central Ground Water Board, the collector highlighted its concerning findings.
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"Only 2% of groundwater is used for drinking, 13% for industrial purposes, and a significant 85% is consumed in agricultural production," Agrawal said during the meeting with contractors and PHE (public health engineering) officials.Agrawal also informed the contractors and PHE officials about the alarming decline in the groundwater table in Bilaspur.
He noted that while groundwater was accessible at a depth of 80-90 ft in the 1990s, it has become challenging to find water even at 300 ft now. "Every five years, the groundwater level is depleting by approximately 50 ft, which is a matter of serious concern. I visited Bija in Takhatpur tehsil on Saturday, and residents informed me that the groundwater level plummeted to 600 ft," the district collector said.The collector emphasised the growing concern regarding groundwater preservation and stressed that stringent measures are essential for effective water conservation. "Natural resources are not the entitlement of just one or two generations," Mr Agrawal remarked, asserting that misuse wouldn't be tolerated.Meanwhile, PHE officials were unable to provide data on the number of borewells used for agricultural purposes in the district when queried by the collector during the meeting. However, the collector mentioned that he sought the data. Regarding the total number of tubewells and borewells in the rural areas of the district, the collector stated that their count is approximately 9,000.At the meet, the collector directed strict adherence to the regulations governing borewell drilling and appealed to the contractors to actively participate in water conservation efforts. Amid increasing concerns of
water scarcity
, the mechanical division of PHE has been entrusted with the responsibility of enforcing this directive, ensuring monitoring of all borewell drilling activitiesRaipur: Amid concerns over continuous depletion in groundwater levels, the Bilaspur district administration is planning to install GPS tracking systems on all borewell drilling machines to monitor and curb unauthorised and illegal groundwater extraction by digging during the summer months.
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The initiative aims to track the real-time movement and operations of these machines. Bilaspur collector Sanjay Agrawal convened a meeting with borewell drilling contractors on Saturday, underscoring the critical need for water conservation and seeking their cooperation in this endeavour. Approximately 50 contractors were present at the meeting. "We are planning to implement the GPS installation method, which is currently in its initial phase," Agrawal informed attendees.Referring to a report by the Central Ground Water Board, the collector highlighted its concerning findings. "Only 2% of groundwater is used for drinking, 13% for industrial purposes, and a significant 85% is consumed in agricultural production," Agrawal said during the meeting with contractors and PHE (public health engineering) officials.Agrawal also informed the contractors and PHE officials about the alarming decline in the groundwater table in Bilaspur. He noted that while groundwater was accessible at a depth of 80-90 ft in the 1990s, it has become challenging to find water even at 300 ft now. "Every five years, the groundwater level is depleting by approximately 50 ft, which is a matter of serious concern. I visited Bija in Takhatpur tehsil on Saturday, and residents informed me that the groundwater level plummeted to 600 ft," the district collector said.The collector emphasised the growing concern regarding groundwater preservation and stressed that stringent measures are essential for effective water conservation. "Natural resources are not the entitlement of just one or two generations," Mr Agrawal remarked, asserting that misuse wouldn't be tolerated.Meanwhile, PHE officials were unable to provide data on the number of borewells used for agricultural purposes in the district when queried by the collector during the meeting. However, the collector mentioned that he sought the data. Regarding the total number of tubewells and borewells in the rural areas of the district, the collector stated that their count is approximately 9,000.At the meet, the collector directed strict adherence to the regulations governing borewell drilling and appealed to the contractors to actively participate in water conservation efforts. Amid increasing concerns of water scarcity, the mechanical division of PHE has been entrusted with the responsibility of enforcing this directive, ensuring monitoring of all borewell drilling activities
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