Groundwater levels dip in 46 Marathwada talukas

AURANGABAD: All is not well for Marathwada as five of the eight districts in the region have reported a dip in the groundwater levels till September as compared to the average of the last five years. Overall, there has been a 0.91m drop in the groundwater levels in the region.
While the groundwater level has increased in Hingoli, Parbhani and Nanded districts, the water level is relatively low in Osmanabad, Jalna, Beed, Latur and Aurangabad districts.
As per data available with the Groundwater Surveys and Development Agency (GSDA), which had conducted a survey on 875 wells in different districts of Marathwada, 46 of the 76 talukas in the region have reported a decline in the water level while the level has risen in 30 talukas.
"A mixed trend can be observed in the change in the groundwater levels in Marathwada, with large areas showing a decline. The varying nature of groundwater levels in different areas may be attributed to the diverse rainfall pattern," said authorities from GSDA on the condition of anonymity.
The water level has dipped by 3m in as many as seven talukas in Osmanabad, three talukas in Jalna and one taluka in Beed district. Two talukas in Beed and one each in Jalna, Parbhani and Osmanabad have reported a dip in the groundwater levels in the range of 2-3m.
On the other hand, as many as 16 talukas in Nanded district are among the 30 talukas where groundwater levels have improved. Water levels have also improved in seven talukas in Parbhani, five in Hingoli, and one each in Aurangabad and Beed districts.
During the survey, the GSDA covered maximum wells in Aurangabad district (141), followed by Nanded (134), Beed (126), Osmanabad (114), Latur (109), Jalna (110), Parbhani (86) and Hingoli (55).
As far as Aurangabad district is concerned, Soygaon taluka has reported a rise in the groundwater levels among the total nine talukas.