Depleting water table worries residents

KENDRAPARA: WHEN Santosh Mandal built his house in seaside Suniti village under Mahakalapada block three decades back, he sunk a tube well for water. He struck clean water barely at 10 feet depth.

Today, water in the tubewell has gone below 70 feet. It is more or less the same story in every household across the district.

For over two lakh people of the district, the biggest lurking problem is the fast depleting groundwater level.

In Jamboo village, six tubewells are lying defunct due to ingress of saline water.

In Kharinashi, Kansarbadadandua and Batighar gram panchayats, water level in tubewells has gone down to as low as 120 feet.

As a result of the receding water table, farmers have been forced to further sink the existing tubewells. In certain cases, powerful pump sets are used to draw water as a result of which, salinity level in groundwater is rapidly increasing.

Locals alleged that notwithstanding the problem, authorities are busy sinking more tubewells in the district.