Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Due to rapidly increasing population and uncontrolled and excessive exploitation of groundwater, a Bengaluru-like situation has started developing in Indore, one of the biggest cities in Madhya Pradesh.
Indore city of Malwa region, which was once filled with water, has now come into the red zone of underground water. Due to the continuously falling water level, the Indore district administration has banned new boring till the arrival of monsoon. At the same time, efforts are being made once again to save traditional water sources through water recharge.
Water level reached 160 meters below:
In fact, like other metros of the country, the underground water level in Indore is continuously falling due to increasing construction work and decreasing forest area. According to the recent report of the Central Groundwater Board, the ground water level in Indore district was 150 meters in 2012, it has gone down by 160 meters (about 560 feet) in 2023.
This is also because the use of underground water in this area has reached 120 per cent. If the situation continues like this, the underground water level will go down by 200 meters by 2030 and a situation of dire water crisis will arise in the city.
Measures by Indore district administration:
In view of the situation, Indore district administration has banned all types of boring excavation from March 18 to June 30. During this period, if any person is found doing boring legally or illegally within the district limits, strict action will be taken against him or her. According to Indore Collector Ashish Singh, in case of emergency, boring can be done with the permission of district officials.
Situation like Bengaluru should not be created:
Now that the water crisis is deepening in Indore like Bengaluru, Indore Municipal Corporation has also prepared to take action against monitoring and misuse of tankers for water supply. Apart from this, it is now being made mandatory to install rain water harvesting system across the city. Efforts are being made to compulsorily install rain water harvesting system in those houses whose roof area is 1,500 square feet. For this, preparations are being made to run a campaign once again through Indore Municipal Corporation and related voluntary organisations.
What experts say on water crisis:
Regarding this situation, groundwater and environment expert Dr. Dilip Vagela said, "Due to continuous construction in Indore district, underground water has decreased. Apart from this, there has been a decrease in tree plantation in Indore district and the dense forest area has also decreased."
"In such a situation, even during rains, instead of being absorbed into the ground, the water flows into the drainage through the roads. At the same time, a large number of construction works have been done in the areas of the district where there was more rainfall. Along with this, water is being used excessively," added Dr Vagela.
