A study by an Environment think tank headquartered in West Bengal and having operations inJharkhandhas painted a sorry picture about the depleting groundwater in this tribal dominated state. The study, titled Ground Water Depletion in Jharkhand, a copy of which was shared with TOI, was prepared in April by SwitchOn Foundation.
The report states, Due to the geographical setup, about 80% of the surface water and 74% of the ground water flow out of the state and cause 38% of the drought here. In Jharkhand, groundwater is found under semi-confined to confined aquifers in the fractures situated at a deeper level, it stated.
In the pre-monsoon season of 2021, the lowest water-table level reported was below 0.03 mt in Hazaribag district, and the deepest water-table level was found at 9.7mt in Koderma district. In the pre-monsoon season of 2022, the groundwater level of the state had declined by two metres. In the same year, themonsoonrainfall received was deficit by over 60%, and about 90% of reservoirs were only 40% full. Since the introduction of tube wells, the groundwater levels in the state have declined over the last two decades, stated the report.