Source : The Hindu Date : 25.06.2009
Groundwater data available for users
Staff Reporter
KOCHI: In Kerala, 30 per cent of the groundwater blocks are unsafe, that is, they are either semi-critical, critical or overexploited. This is against the national average of 18 per cent unsafe groundwater blocks.
This was indicated at a district-level Data Users’ Workshop held by the State Groundwater Department under the hydrology project.
Inaugurating the workshop, District Collector M. Beena said that environmental factors need to be reviewed along with developmental activities, especially in Ernakulam, where a lot of developmental activities are going on.
The data collected by the groundwater department in this regard will be of good use for planning any major activity, she said.
The data collection on ground water had been going on since the project was launched in 1997. But there was no deliberate sharing of data with anyone. It was made available only when someone asked.
Dr. Beena said the data collected would be of much use in planning developmental projects as they would provide more meaning since they are more specific and locally relevant.
