Bhubaneswar. March 27: Groundwater levels have been steadily declining in 23 out of Odisha’s 30 districts over the past five years, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi informed the State Assembly on Thursday. He provided detailed data highlighting the worrying trend and the government’s efforts to counteract it.

In a written response to Jharsuguda MLA Tankadhar Tripathy, CM Majhi revealed that groundwater levels had dropped consistently, with a depletion of 4.94 meters in 2020, 4.91 meters in 2021, 5.22 meters in 2022, 5.51 meters in 2023, and 5.47 meters again in 2023, followed by a smaller decline of 0.53 meters in 2024. However, he assured that Jharsuguda district remained within a safe range, with groundwater levels shifting from 5.22 meters in 2014 to 6.07 meters in 2024.

To address the crisis, the government has launched two key programs: the CHHATA scheme, which facilitates rainwater harvesting in urban and rural areas, and the ARUA project, which has installed 2,400 recharge shafts statewide. Additionally, the Instream Storage Structure (ISS) project is being implemented to enhance river water retention and groundwater replenishment.

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