Chandigarh: 2 water bodies being revived in Sarangpur, Kaimbwala villages

In a bid to recharge groundwater levels in Chandigarh and boost rainwater harvesting, two water bodies in Sarangpur and Kaimbwala villages which had earlier dried up are being revived. The work will be completed in August 15.

A water body is also being revived in Khuda Ali Sher. which will be completed by the end of the month. MC has spent ₹30 lakh in total on the two ponds in Sarangpur and Kaimbwala and ₹10 lakh in Khuda Ali Sher.

In total, the administration is rejuvenating and redeveloping seven water bodies in various villages of the city. MC commissioner Anindita Mitra, said, “The main purpose is to recharge water aquifers and restore the level of groundwater table. At times, these water bodies also prevent flooding. The project had been started in February 2022.”

With its groundwater extraction at 80.6%, Chandigarh had been categorised in the “semi-critical” category as per the “Dynamic Ground Water Resources of India, 2020” report released by the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), The average for the country is 61.6%.

While less than 70% groundwater extraction is considered “safe”, between 70% and 90% is classified as “semi-critical”. Between 90% and 100% is “critical” and “over exploited” is above 100%.

The cultivated land in Chandigarh is only 11 square km, of the total area of 114 square km, which utilises around 20% of the city’s groundwater. More than 75% is used for domestic needs and the rest for other purposes, including industrial.

In most city areas, water is available 20 to 30 metres below the ground, while it is down to about 80 metres in Manimajra.

The city has one of the highest per capita consumption of water in the country. While the country’s consumption average is 135 litres per capita per day (LPCD), it stands at 245 lpcd in the city.

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