IIM students’ study on depleting water table

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, June 30

A group of students from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Amritsar, have carried out a study on the depletion of groundwater in Manawala village near the city. Members of the team focused on the problem of farmers in the wake of depleting groundwater, besides lack of alternatives to harvest water in the area.

The study also throws light on the aspect of minimum usage of lakes and ponds due to contamination.

The team included Abhilash Reddy, Shreyasi Deore, N Sandeep Kumar, Shashank Raturi and Yamini Bose.

Abhilash Reddy (27) says, “Depletion is such that the water available at the depth of 100 feet too is not fit for drinking or agriculture purposes. They have to dig around 400 feet to procure usable water.”

“The farming community in the area is, traditionally, dependent upon the natural water resources to fullfil its agricultural needs. However, water contamination acts as a hurdle,” he adds.

Students also came across lack of rainwater harvesting techniques for farmers. “Even when it rains, farmers cannot save water for future use as there is no rainwater harvesting facility,” Sandeep Kumar adds.

The study also suggests solution for the same, such as connecting nearby water bodies through canals, developing rainwater harvesting in the area, etc.