Groundwater Over Exploitation: A Case Study From Moje-Anepura, Kolar District, Karnataka

Over a period of 15 years, as many as 84 bore wells were put into operation within an area of 160 hectares. The consequent groundwater over-exploitation led to serious decline in water levels as well as depth to producing zones resulting in the failure of a large number of borewells. The initial trend of increasing area under groundwater irrigation got reversed due to reduced availability of water. The cropping pattern also changed along with groundwater extraction pattern: from predominantly cereals to cash crops. The depth of borewells drilled has been on the increase each year as shallower aquifers dried up. The yield fluctuation in the pre-and post-monsoon periods has indicated that recharge is largely restricted to about 60m depth and therefore, the optimum depth of borewells in the study area should not exceed this limit. The present practice of tapping deeper fracture aquifers is a case of groundwater mining, without any aonual replenishment occurring and will lead to severe problems in the near future.