Water Resources department plans to install artificial recharge shafts to replenish groundwater sources across Tamil Nadu
The State government has recently approved a proposal to install nearly 576 artificial recharge shafts in 23 districts at a cost of ₹6.74 crore. The WRD's State Ground and Surface Water Resources Data Centre will implement the projects in districts, including Ranipet, Salem, Erode, Tirupattur, Vellore, Tiruvannamalai, Cuddalore, and Tenkasi. Officials said recharge shafts would be installed close to waterbodies or storage structures such as check dams to direct rainwater into the deeper aquifers.
Recharge shafts will be installed at a depth between 10 m and 100 m, depending on the site's lithology. These structures will minimise evaporation loss and accelerate recharge rate depending on the type of aquifer, officials said. The project will be completed before the onset of the Northeast monsoon. According to the Tamil Nadu Groundwater Resource Assessment 2024, 392 of the State's total 1,202 firkas have been identified as places were groundwater resources are over-exploited and extraction is over 100%. This is marginally lower than the 395 over-exploited firkas assessed in 2023.
Among the various groundwater recharge schemes, the WRD will drill several recharge shafts in various districts under the Groundwater Development Programme. 'We expect the recharge rate to be 20%-30% faster than the natural recharge. Some of the over-exploited and critical blocks may move to safer category with replenished groundwater resources in a few years,' said an official.
Various factors such as specific site and depth of the shaft and ascertaining lithology will be determined based on the technical inputs of WRD's geologists. The sites have been chosen based on the groundwater depletion level and deteriorating quality. For instance, the groundwater extraction rate in Vellore has exceeded 130% of its annual recharge capacity. Dharmapuri, Tirupattur, Salem, and Villupuram districts have also been identified with high extraction rates.
Though the Dynamic Groundwater Assessment for Tamil Nadu, March 2024, found districts such as Tirunelveli, Ramanathapuram, and Sivaganga did not have over-exploited blocks, the WRD has planned to install recharge shafts in these districts because of declining water quality.
Once the recharge shafts are in place, the impact will be felt for a radius of 500 m to 1 km. 'We expect the changes in the water table and quality to reflect in our monthly and annual assessments. The project will be expanded to more places in a phased manner,' an official said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Water Resources Department to explore feasibility of turning Buckingham Canal into a functional waterway
The Water Resources Department (WRD) will soon begin preliminary work on a Detailed Project Report (DPR) to assess the feasibility of operating a water metro and developing the National Waterway-4 (NW-4) in Chennai. The project will cover the stretch of Buckingham Canal between Ennore and Marakkanam. As an initial step towards restoring the canal and improving its navigability, the WRD will take up restoration of a five-km stretch of the Central Buckingham Canal from Chepauk to Greenways Road (DGS Dinakaran Salai). The ₹31-crore project will be part of the larger plan, said the officials. The WRD will prepare the DPR with the financial assistance and consultation of Inland Waterways Authority of India, the nodal agency under the Union Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways. The NW-4 aims to connect Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry. Officials said that while there was a technical feasibility to turn the canal into a waterway, there were several challenges, including sewage pollution, encroachments, narrow stretches, and cost. The canal should be dredged for a minimum depth of 3 m in several parts for the smooth movement of vessels. For instance, the original bed level of the Buckingham Canal is nearly 2 m below mean sea level. But, the Central Buckingham Canal has accumulated sludge up to 1 m above mean sea level, which has impeded free flow of water and affected its flood handling capacity, he said. The WRD plans to dredge the Central Buckingham Canal and increase its carrying capacity by 700 cusecs, protect the banks, and create recreational spaces at a few places. However, the project will be implemented without the need to remove encroachments. More such measures are needed to achieve the larger goal of canal restoration, the official said. 'We need a minimum width of 15 m to make it a functional waterway. However, the average width varies between 50 m and 150 m in the South and North Buckingham Canal. Building a retaining wall along Central Buckingham Canal may provide a minimum of 3 m space on both sides,' an official said. About 5,000 encroachments and a minimum of 15 sewage outfalls have been identified in the Buckingham Canal within city limits. 'We are also considering the possibility of creating shutters/tidal gates near estuaries to control flow of tidal water and maintain a particular water level in the canal,' the official added. The detailed project report would cover aspects, including ways to ensure navigability while accounting for the MRTS pillars and changing width and measures to tackle pollution in the canal.
The Hindu
6 hours ago
- The Hindu
Farmers, activists oppose move to set up sand quarry at Mangammalpuram
Farmers, environmental activists and local residents on Wednesday strongly opposed the move of the Water Resources Department (WRD) to set up a sand quarry at Mangammalpuram on the water course of the Kollidam river. As per the proposal, the sand quarry will have an area measuring 200 hectares on the river course near Anbil in Lalgudi Taluk in Tiruchi district. It is proposed to excavate 5,00,000 m3 of sand by opencast mechanised mining method without drilling and blasting. Sand will be transported by 10/20 tonnes. The sand will be loaded directly to the trucks/ lorries to nearby approved Government Sand Depot for transportation to the needy customers. The trucks will be loaded by excavators in direct supervision of the Assistant/ Junior Engineers of the Water Resources Department. The life of the mining period will be two years. However, farmers and environmental activists expressed their strong reservations to the quarry at the public hearing conducted by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) at Anbil near here. R.S. Mugilan, coordinator, Cauvery Protection Movement, who participated in the hearing, said there should not be any drinking water project within 500 meters radius of any mining activity. There were six drinking water projects in close vicinity of the proposed quarry. It would adversely impact the drinking water projects and the environment. Mining plan for the quarry was prepared in 2022. It was wrong to seek the opinions and views for the three-year-old mining plan as it would not reflect the current picture of the quarrying site and method. He said that 45 annexes, including no objection certificates from revenue authorities and others, should have been made available on the website of TNPCB. But, it had mainly annexed only the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA). It had deprived the people, mainly farmers and local residents, information about mandatory details. Mr. Mugilan said that several villages, which were surrounded by the proposed site, would be affected on various fronts if the quarry was allowed. Hence, it should not be established. M.P. Chinnadurai, a farmer leader, said there was already a GO for importing sand from river sand-rich countries. Instead of causing negative environmental impact by opening sand quarries, the State government should take steps to import sand to meet the market demand. V. Jeevakumar, a farmer of Rayamundanpatti in Thanjavur district, said the proposed quarry site was not far away from Kallanai, one of the oldest irrigation structures. There was possibility of extensive sand mining activity beyond the permitted level. If it happened it might pose danger to the Kallanai.
Scroll.in
a day ago
- Scroll.in
APSC Junior Engineer exam date 2025 released; check details here
Recruitment Scroll Staff The Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) has released the exam schedule of the Junior Engineer (Civil) under Water Resources Department under Advt. No. 14/2025. Admit cards will be released at on August 20, 2025. The exam will be conducted on August 31 from 10.00 am to 12 noon [Civil Engineering (Paper -1)] and 1.30 pm to 3.30 pm [General Studies & General English (Paper - II)]. The recruitment drive aims to fill 160 vacancies. Here's the official notification. Visit the official website On the homepage, go to Admit Cards/ Call Letter tab Click on the JE Civil admit card 2025 link Login and download the admit card Take a printout for future reference For more details, candidates are advised to visit the official website here . We welcome your comments at letters@
