URGAON: The tall claims of the civic authorities of bolstering groundwater table in Gurgaon have fallen flat if one is to believe the findings of a study conducted by a team of students and teachers from Jamia Millia Islamia University in New Delhi.

According to the study, water table in the corporation areas in the city has receded on an average of around 7 ft. Now, the water table depth in the city hovers around 280 ft and as per experts, after 600 ft, there is no water.

The study was carried out by Dr Gauhar Mahmood, a professor in the department of civil engineering at the Jamia Millia Islamia. “As per samples collected in October, water table has gone down 7 ft in Nathupur and Sikanderpur. At the Biodiversity Park, the water table is down by 6 ft while in Gowshala and Rajiv Chowk, it is 5 ft,” said Mahmood.

The study is a result of past eleven months of what Mahmood calls ‘micro level data analysis’. The team of researchers took data from the water harvesting pits of the municipal corporation to analyze the water table condition.

The findings also point out to the fact that total extraction of groundwater from Gurgaon is much more than prescribed limits.

Last year, after the Punjab and Haryana high court banned the use of borewells at construction sites, HUDA has been supplying treated water to these sites. Now, it seems, the ban has failed to serve its purpose in preserving the groundwater levels in the city. Mahmood said: “The entire region has to invest in rainwater harvesting on large scale and authorities will have concertedly work on complete ban on the use of borewells or tubewells.”

In Gurgaon the ground water extraction begins right at the time of construction. “The builders dig borewells for the construction and then the same borewell water is supplied to flat owners after the building is completed. Now unless civic authorities, like MCG and HUDA provide water to colonies residents would be forced to used tubewells.

A district administration official said: “In Gurgaon over 100 borewells have been sealed and HUDA is supplying treated water from STP for constructions in the city. HUDA has been constructing rain water harvesting structures in residential and commercial areas.”

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/gurgaon/Gurgaons-groundwater-recedes-to-average-7ft-Study/articleshow/25781619.cms