look news india
Cape Town, the capital of South Africa, has been declared the world's first waterless city. The next number could be from our Rajasthan. There is no water left in Rajasthan, a desert state with a population of 8.5 crores. The report of the Ground Water Department has claimed that there will be no water left in all the major cities including Jaipur, Ajmer, Jodhpur by next year i.e. 2025.
Water rationing is going on in many districts of Rajasthan in the scorching heat.
Every year Rajasthan is using 5.49 billion cubic meters more water than it recharges from rainfall and other sources. That means future savings are being spent today. The Dynamic Ground Water Resources Report of the Central Ground Water Board and Ground Water Department of Rajasthan has projected water availability to be zero by 2025 in Jaipur, Ajmer, Jaisalmer and Jodhpur. The current situation is also not good. In the scorching heat, water rationing is going on in many districts of Rajasthan.
Only 38 blocks have been declared safe in terms of water availability
A senior official who prepared the report said that by 2025 these cities will have zero dynamic sources of groundwater. This means that we are pulling more water from the ground than is being recharged here. Due to this, 219 out of 302 blocks of Rajasthan have reached above the danger mark. These have been placed in the category of overexploitation. Of the rest, 22 are critical, 20 are semi-critical. Only 38 blocks have been declared safe in terms of water availability.
The situation has reversed in 40 years
According to the groundwater survey report, the situation in Rajasthan has completely changed in the last 40 years. In 1984, 203 out of 236 blocks of Rajasthan were safe to drink. 10 were semi-severe, 11 were severe and 12 were completely absorbed. We have used only 35.75% recharge water in Rajasthan. We are utilizing 148.77% of the recharge done in 2023. This means that the water we are extracting from the ground is saving for the future, which we are spending today. It cannot be denied that this will soon lead to water problems.
Water level has increased in 189 gram panchayats
Ground water scientists said the report has been prepared on the basis of dynamic factors. This may change from time to time. This situation can change if the rains are good and recharge is done properly. Chief Engineer of Ground Water Department said that under the Atal Ground Water Scheme being run for ground water conservation, 15 thousand water harvesting structures have been constructed in the last four years. Apart from this, efforts were also made to reduce water consumption by diverting more than 30 thousand farmers towards drip and sprinkler systems. Due to which the water level has increased in 189 gram panchayats out of 1129 gram panchayats of 17 districts. The situation has improved slightly in 289 gram panchayats.
The share of groundwater in Rajasthan's GDP is 18%.
The contribution of agriculture sector in the total GDP of Rajasthan is 27% and the share of groundwater in agriculture is 69% i.e. the share of groundwater in the total GDP of Rajasthan is 18%.