Groundwater level improves in south Chennai now
Posted on: 04/Jan/2020 10:14:06 AM
In Tiruvottriyur zone and in the Ambattur zone there has been a marginal decrease in the groundwater level now when compared to the month of November. In all other zones, the groundwater level has improved due to the NE monsoon.
From shallow observation wells, MWD measures groundwater in the 15 zones in Chennai city every month. The places like Ambattur and Tiruvottriyur fall in the added areas of metro water and till now these places haven’t got piper water supply.
It was pointed out by an official belonging to MWD that residents in the places like Ambattur and Tiruvottriyur depend on the groundwater and after the monsoon the residents have started to draw groundwater. This has resulted in the marginal decrease in the groundwater levels.
In the month of November, Teynampet had groundwater level at 4.62 m and in December the groundwater level has decreased to 4.66 m. In the same manner in Kodambakkam, the groundwater level was at 5.55 m in November and it has reduced to 5.56 m in December.
It was mentioned by Mr J. Saravanan, hydro-geologist that Kodambakkam has clayey soil with shale beneath. Shale is nothing but fine-grained sedimentary rock formation. Information collected in this kind of soil does not face severe depletion. He then revealed the presence of alluvial soil for 60 ft followed by a hard rock in Teynampet. The fact is in this soil also there would not be alarming depletion of groundwater.
Now, there is an improvement in the groundwater levels in south Chennai and in places like Alandur, Adyar, Perungudi and Sholinganallur the groundwater levels has increased.
In November, the groundwater level was 4.63 m in Alandur and the level has touched 4.05 m after recent rains. From 4.21 m in November, the groundwater level has touched 3.98 m now in Adyar. From 3.78m and 3.45 m in November in Perungudi and Sholinganallur respectively, the groundwater level has touched 3.15 m and 2.68 m in Perungudi and Sholinganallur respectively in December.
An official later spoke about how due to seawater intrusion in Royapuram, Triplicane and Royapettah the residents did not use bore wells.
