Experts call for conservation of groundwater resources

Speakers at the Ground Water Conference, which was organised by the Central Ground Water Board in collaboration with the University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS) on Wednesday, highlighted the urgent need to conserve and augment groundwater resources.

K M Viswanath, regional director, Central Ground Water Board, called for appropriate management interventions and preparing a holistic roadmap based on scientific studies for sustainable management of resources. “There is an urgent need to avert the looming water crisis, which has resulted in de-saturation of potential aquifer zones and consequent deterioration of groundwater quality,” he said.

Shivananda Murthy, commissioner, watershed development department, also spoke on the importance of conserving water, given the increase in population. “Karnataka has the largest drought-prone (79%) area in the country and is the second largest dry land next to Rajasthan. This valuable reso-urce, which serves as the main source of livelihood, has been subjected to poor land management practices,” he said.