The decadal data shows a worrying trend with 76 percent areas in Haryana witnessing a decline in groundwater level, according to the latest report of Central Ground Water Board.
The interpretations of decadal fluctuations from 2010 to 2020 shows that groundwater level declined in 66 percent of wells which covers about 76 percent area of the state falling in all 22 districts. Water level decline in the range of 0-2m has been reported from 40 percent of the wells covering 34 percent of area of the state, as per the report.
Water level decline between 2-4m has been reported from 12 percent of wells covering 16 percent area of Haryana while decline of more than 4m has been observed in 14 percent wells and 26 percent of the area of state covering parts of Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Karnal, Panipat, Sonipat, Bhiwani, Charkhi Dadri, Palwal, Rewari, Gurugram and occurring dominantly in Mahendragarh, Mewat and Faridabad districts.
In the past few years, the Manohar Lal Khattar led Haryana Government has announced lucrative schemes to encourage farmers in paddy-rich areas to grow less water-consuming crops like maize, pulses, in a bid to address the consistent decline in the water table.
However, the farmers have stuck to the entrenched paddy-wheat cycle in the state, and paddy, being a water guzzler, is often blamed for the rapid decline in groundwater across the state.
The decadal data also indicated that there is not a very encouraging rise in groundwater level in the state. The water level rise has been observed in 34 percent of wells and just 24 percent area in the state. The water level rise in the range of 0-2m has been observed in 27 percent wells covering 21 percent area of the state, rise of 2-4m observed in four percent wells and less than two percent area of the state, rise of less than 4m has been observed in just three percent wells covering just one percent area of Haryana.