Falling groundwater levels lead to large-scale aquifer recharge project in Athani
Athani: The Minor Irrigation Department of Athani has suggested an experimental groundwater recharge project aimed at raising the rapidly dropping water table. This project will include injecting surface water from seasonal streams and nalas directly into subsurface aquifers via a network of pierced borewells.
According to Deccan Herald, the department plans to drill around 1,000 borewells across Athani taluk in Belagavi district, with each borewell spaced roughly 500 metres apart along 10 to 12 nalas, under the proposal. The project is estimated to cost ₹25 crore and will be taken up as a Managed Aquifer Recharge initiative. This method will allow surface water to be channelled into aquifers for long-term storage.
According to officials, the project is being considered following severe groundwater depletion, as farmers are now drilling borewells beyond depths of 800 feet to access water. DH quoted Praveen Patil, assistant executive engineer of the Minor Irrigation Department in Athani, as saying that sustained over-extraction has pushed groundwater levels to alarming lows and that the department has been studying the geology of the area for nearly a decade. He further said that the department believes conditions are suitable for implementing the recharge plan.
The department conducted a pilot exercise along the Agrani river. Two borewells were drilled on the riverbank, allowing floodwater to flow naturally into the wells during high discharge, while officials also observed a positive impact on groundwater levels within a radius of nearly two kilometres from the test sites.
Calling Managed Aquifer Recharge a proven technique that can replenish groundwater faster and in larger volumes compared to conventional methods, experts told DH that the process uses storm water, surface runoff or treated wastewater to recharge aquifers during periods of surplus availability.
According to water expert Veena Srinivasan, recharging efforts may fail if silt accumulation is not addressed. She further told DH that long-term groundwater sustainability necessitates adjustments in agricultural practices that can maintain soil moisture while allowing precipitation to percolate naturally.
DH quoted S Vishwanath, a water conservation specialist, who called Managed Aquifer Recharge an environmentally sound technique as it uses monsoon flows rather than summer water extraction. Warning about poor design or a lack of filtration, he said it might lead borewells to fill with silt and pollutants, which may render the system inoperable.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
No need for guv: DMK leader Kanimozhi
Chennai (PTI): Senior DMK leader Kanimozhi Karunanidhi on Friday reiterated her party’s opposition to the office of the governor amid uncertainty over government formation in Tamil Nadu after a fractured election mandate.
Speaking to PTI Videos, Kanimozhi emphasised that the DMK’s demand for the abolition of the governor’s post remained unchanged, especially as questions arise over constitutional propriety during the current political transition.
"Our position that we do not need a governor at all is something the DMK has never changed at any point in time," she said.
When asked about the governor’s actions following the election results—particularly the delay in inviting the leading party to form the government—Kanimozhi pointed to what she described as the "inherent friction" between the office of the governor and the political interests of the state.
She said the current situation "raises a lot of questions" and requires introspection regarding constitutional procedures.
Kanimozhi described the election results as lacking a "clear mandate", which she identified as the primary reason for the prevailing political uncertainty in the state.
"What the people decide is supreme," she said, adding that while the mandate was not decisive, it must be respected.
The Thoothukudi MP attributed the ongoing delays and "many confusions" to the absence of a decisive majority for any single party.
She firmly dismissed rumours about the DMK potentially supporting the AIADMK from outside to help stabilise the government.
She described such reports as mere "speculation" and "rumours".
"We can’t be responding to every rumour," she said, declining to comment on the AIADMK’s claims regarding its numbers to form the government.
The political situation in Tamil Nadu remains fluid as stakeholders await the governor’s next constitutional step in an Assembly where no party has secured a clear majority.
The DMK and AIADMK—both of which suffered significant losses to the TVK—are reportedly exploring tactical manoeuvres to navigate the hung Assembly.
The TVK, with 108 seats and the support of Congress’s five MLAs, is still short of the majority mark. The DMK and AIADMK secured 59 and 47 seats, respectively.
