Reviving city wells could stop groundwater depletion

A campaign to dig recharge wells in the city, titled 'A Million Recharge Wells', is slowly catching up.

Biome Environmental Solutions, which spearheads the initiative, has already created recharge wells as concerned city dwellers consulted them to stop the depletion of groundwater.

Shubha Ramachandran, water sustainability consultant with Biome, said it was an ongoing process of creating new wells to recharge groundwater.

"We have been consulted for rejuvenating old wells and digging new ones. Recently, we recharged seven wells in Cubbon Park and one at Shantinagar. The campaign is still in its infancy and we are working on the action plan. Most wells are recharged through public funds. In the next three months, the campaign will be officially launched," she said.

S Vishwanath from Biome said well diggers from the the Mannu Vaddar community are on demand as they are continuously hired for recharging wells.

"Nearly 10,000 open wells have dried up and are filled with silt and garbage. We just need to identify and rejuvenate them. While the BWSSB is encouraging citizens to install rainwater harvesting structures, it should also push them to have recharge wells," he added.

Muniraju, a well digger, said workers have been flooded with calls. "I have been doing this for 12 years and have dug more than 1,000 borewells. Looking at the place, we can identify the depth at which we can get water," he added.