Due to over exploitation and poor <g data-gr-id="28">rain water</g> harvesting, the state is facing acute recharge of underground water, cautioned Rajasthan Public Health and Engineering Department (PHED) Minister Kiran Maheshwari on Monday.
Underground water is now available in 25 blocks out of 249 water zone areas due to <g data-gr-id="30">over exploitation</g> of <g data-gr-id="31">under ground</g> water and very poor recharge system, Maheshwari said.
Inaugurating a national workshop on water harvesting here, she said that 224 water zones are now under dark zone.
The water consumption per person has increased 300 times by the year 2015 as compared to data of 1984, she added.
The state requires extensive recharge mechanism, reuse and storage techniques, she underlined.
Rajasthan will also plan <g data-gr-id="40">digging</g> of bore wells above 100 <g data-gr-id="41">metre</g> with latest rig machines to explore water in the underground <g data-gr-id="36">Sarswati</g> river which was hidden in parts of western Rajasthan since time immemorial, she said.
She further said the Central Ground Water Department (CGWD) has prepared a DIPR and sent a report to the Centre with an estimate of Rs 70 crore to explore water signs deep in the western district.
Rajasthan is also facing a challenge of saline water and water-logging in the Indira Gandhi canal area of western districts, she said. Lapodia, a small village in Jaipur district, had developed <g data-gr-id="35">rain water</g> harvesting system, and this model could be extended to other remote areas, she added.
The minister said due to <g data-gr-id="38">scarcity</g> of water reserves in dark zones, the supply of water should be on availability more than the demand so that a balance be maintained in demand and supply in future.
PHED and GWD would hold such workshop on water and rain harvesting at each panchayat <g data-gr-id="33">samiti</g> so that villagers and planners could get better scientific and technical knowledge to save and recharge water, she said.
Due to water scarcity in the state, it would be important that “we capture every drop of rain and utilize this for drinking purposes”, she underlined.
Speaking on the occasion, Director of Water and Sanitation Support Organisation (WSSO) Hemant Joshi said monsoon rains pattern was uneven in the country resulting in poor recharge of water bodies including borewell and reservoirs.