Newsletter No. 64;
IRBMS
serious. This study is based on the data collected Groundwater exploitation is spreading eastern UP.
by Climate Surprisingly Son River is passing through the
Experiment satellites, also known as the GRACE district. The famous Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar
mission. dam near Renukoot is situated in this district. The
The worldwide study shows in the subcontinent maximum
there will be serious impact on such redistribution. Robertsgunj etc. in the North of Son River.
In North-West of the sub-continent covering The level of groundwater has depleted below 250
Pakistan to Western UP there will be severe feet. In certain pockets, it is beyond that which has
depletion of Groundwater. In the Himalayan made the situation alarming. The groundwater
foothills the precipitation will increase but there level came to knowledge during boring at a
will location in Ghorawal area. Drilling up to 1,200 feet
NASA’s
Gravity
be change
in
Recovery
and
Groundwater for which
affected
areas
are
Ghorawal,
Groundwater policy need to be changed. was done but water was not found.
It is ironical that the mainstream elite media and There are over 250 villages in Ghorawal area and
Govt. of one of the most affected region of the around 50 are in rocky pockets of the district
world remain indifferent about this huge looming where the situation is alarming. According to
problem. residents, a long stretch of Belan River which is the
main source of water for many villages has dried
NEWS
up with only a few patches remaining. The Ritthi
Sonbhadra District, UP is facing severe Dam has dried up due to cracks have emerged in
Water Crisis. the dried up soil. Villagers have to arrange water
Sonbhadra District of Eastern Uttar Pradesh is
facing severe water crisis April-May 2018.
The
hand pumps of village after village went dry, men
and women in summer walking kilometer after
kilometers to get water. Water crisis has returned
to haunt thousands of locals residing in Deori
Khas, Surahi, Biranki, Susund, Mahav and other
villages in Gorawal area which has been declared a
dark zone due to over exploitation of groundwater.
From
Western
UP
and
Punjab,
excessive
for cattle from other sources.
By mid-March, ponds, wells and tube wells go dry
every year but situation has turned bad this year as
ponds dried up in the last week of February. Local
administration is aware of the problem and they
have identified 18 ponds and wells each which have
dried up.
The
situation
had
worsened
due
to
overexploitation of groundwater and lack of steps
required to recharge the water level. Both
2
Integrated River Basin Management Society