The unusual post monsoon rainfall this year did cause damage to standing crops in former composite Adilabad district but also helped recharge groundwater sufficiently to last for a month more than February-March, the normal time of drying up of existing drinking water sources.
This phenomenon assumes significance in the light of the fact that the Mission Bhagiratha is only partially successful in supplying purified drinking water to habitations and wherever it is being supplied, people have exhibited a marked reluctance in consuming the water.
Only Nirmal district recorded deficit rainfall during the monsoon but several places were battered by spells of untimely rainfall, which damaged paddy but improved the groundwater levels at those places to ensure availability of drinking water for a prolonged period next summer.
For example, the level of water in Tanur has risen from 19.17 metres below ground level (MBGL) in October 2018 to 2.49 MBGL in October this year.
Similarly, in Mancherial district, the average rise in groundwater level is 4.39 metres what with water being available at 8.03 MBGL in July this year and 3.64 MBGL in October. Among the usual water stress places is Tandur mandal, which showcased the worst case scenario last year with water found at 14.35 MBGL, has improved to 9.65 MBGL.
In Kumram Bheem Asifabad, water was available at the average 6.58 MBGL in October 2018 but at present, it is available at 5.01 MBGL. One of the water stress mandals, Dahegaon, now has water at 11 MGBL against the 13.20 MBGL in October last.
The most important development in terms of recharge of ground water is perhaps in Bazarhatnoor mandal of Adilabad district. While the district itself has improved availability of water from 9.03 MBGL in July this year to 4.58 MBGL in October, Bazarhatnoor has improved to 3.45 MBGL from the 4.10 MBGL in October 2018.
The groundwater is expected to last a little longer in areas where Mission Bhagiratha water is being supplied as people are using the latter for other purposes. “Hopefully more areas will come under Mission Bhagiratha cover by the beginning of summer so that people have more groundwater to be used for drinking purpose,” observed an engineer from the Rural Water Supply department.
