Reports from the Groundwater Directorate Bangalore have highlighted a concerning trend in Bengaluru’s water situation, with groundwater levels plummeting across all nine taluks in the Urban and Rural districts. According to the latest groundwater level fluctuation report, published in May this year, the situation has worsened significantly compared to the previous year.
The report indicates that groundwater levels have dropped by more than 4 meters below ground level in Bengaluru South, Bengaluru West, Bengaluru North, Yelahanka, Anekal, Doddaballapur, Devanahalli, and Hoskote taluks. Bengaluru East has also seen a notable decline of nearly two meters. Over the past decade, the average groundwater levels in these taluks have receded between 2 to 4 meters during the month of May alone.
Areas such as Hoskote taluk, groundwater is now as deep as 60 to 80 meters below ground level, underscoring the severity of the situation. Experts attribute this rapid depletion primarily to uncontrolled illegal borewell digging. Bengaluru is reported to have hundreds of thousands of illegal borewells, exacerbating the strain on already overexploited aquifers.
Sandeep Anirudhan from Whitefield expressed concerns over the escalating water crisis, noting that Bengaluru’s reliance on groundwater is crucial as the Cauvery water supply meets only half of the city’s water requirements. The unchecked extraction from illegal borewells has drastically deepened aquifers, originally ranging from 30 to 100 feet, to depths of 1500 to 2000 feet.
Ecologists further warn that rapid urbanization, which has significantly increased impervious surfaces, is contributing to the groundwater depletion. The loss of natural water retention systems like lakes, marshes, wetlands, and porous soil has disrupted traditional rainwater harvesting practices, exacerbating Bengaluru’s water woes.
