Visakhapatnam’s groundwater falls 3.86 metres in a year; six villages past 20 metres deep

Residents queue up near a water tanker to collect water as groundwater levels drop, in Visakhapatnam. File | Photo Credit: V. Raju :Visakhapatnam district’s water table has fallen 3.86 metres in a year, from 7.65 metres below ground in August 2025 to 11.51 metres in August 2026, the District Ground Water and Water Audit Department has recorded.District Ground Water Officer K. Pushpalatha said the fall was directly linked to an acute rainfall deficit. She presented the findings at a training programme on ‘Integrated and Interdisciplinary Strategies for Sustainable Ground Water Development and Management’, jointly organised by the Central Ground Water Board and the GITAM School of Science on Tuesday (September 8, 2026).Against a seasonal normal of 177.3 mm as of August 26, the district recorded only 92.39 mm, a 47.89% deficit, she said. The factors accelerating the depletion included excessive groundwater extraction through heavy borewell pumping for irrigation, domestic and industrial use, reduced natural recharge because of urban concrete cover, a shortage of water-harvesting structures, and high surface runoff during brief, intense downpours.Real-time data from a monitoring network of 31 piezometers and eight observation wells showed that six villages had groundwater at depths exceeding 20 metres, 38 villages were between three and six metres, and 135 habitations, comprising 96 rural villages and 39 urban wards, were in the 6-20 metre range, she said.In a talk on rainfall analysis and the application of stable isotopes in groundwater studies, CGWB scientist P. Kiran Kumar said El Niño’s influence on the monsoon led to below-average rainfall across India, and to poor groundwater recharge across several parts of Visakhapatnam district this year, with potential adverse impacts on local agriculture and water resources.CGWB scientist S.S.S. Vittala spoke on remote sensing and GIS applications in groundwater development and management, and CGWB scientist Nageshwar Rao Elisela on the role of geophysical studies in groundwater exploration and management.K. Sureshkumar, associate professor of environmental science at the GITAM School of Science, spoke on the growing threat of seawater intrusion to coastal groundwater in Visakhapatnam. T. Srinivas, professor in the GITAM civil engineering department, spoke on sustainable greywater treatment and reuse technologies. Published - September 09, 2026 01:06 pm IST