Dog days in state, wells going dry

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the temperate rising to unprecedented highs giving dog days to the state, the water level in wells is going down by at least one meter. In such a scenario, if there happens no rain in the month of May, the wells are sure to go dry with no salvage.

The groundwater reserve in Kerala is also showing a depleting run. According to data from the central government, Kerala is in the top place across India when it comes to the depleting groundwater count. In 10% of wells in Kerala, the water level went down by one meter while in the other 15% of wells, the level went down by a scary 2 meters down.

The central government has warned Kerala to adopt the ceratin water reserve method in fear of an extended summer. However, no such measures have been adopted by the government. The first Pinarayi government even gave big promises in a dedicated water budget to ensure proper and prudent use of water resources. However, all were just canards to earn political brownies.

In the state, there are more than 60 lakh wells and a large 64.8% of people in villages depend on wells for water for daily use.