The groundwater level in the drought-prone Rayalaseema region in Andhra Pradesh – comprising the districts of Chittoor, Kadapa, Anantapur and Kurnool – has improved compared to last year’s 8.08 Meters Below Ground Level (MGBL). Interestingly, while the drought-prone region saw a significant increase in the groundwater level, the coastal districts saw an increase of a mere 2.17 MGBL. According to the groundwater data, on June 18 the groundwater level in the Rayalaseema region was recorded at 8.90 MGBL, whereas on the same day last year the water level was recorded at 16.98 MGBL.
In comparison, on June 18 the groundwater level in coastal Andhra Pradesh – comprising the districts of Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, East Godavari, West Godavari, Krishna, Guntur, Prakasam and Nellore – was recorded at 8.31 MGBL, while the water level on the same day last year was recorded at 10.48 MGBL. As per the report, 40% of the groundwater was between 3-8 meters, 26% between 8-20 meters, 25% less than 3 meters, and 20% more than 8 meters.
As per data on the groundwater depth, West Godavari district witnessed the highest drop in the water level. According to the data, 26.47% of groundwater in West Godavari had been recorded at a depth of more than 20 meters, while Vizianagaram and Nellore did not witness a water depletion of more than 20 meters. Among the Rayalaseema districts, Anantapur recorded the highest drop in the water level as 17.93% of groundwater had been recorded at a depth of more than 20 meters, followed by Chittoor district, where 7.34% of groundwater was recorded at a depth of more than 20 meters. In Kadapa, 2.94% of the groundwater was recorded at a depth of more than 20 meters.
The data also revealed that in Nellore district, 42.55% of groundwater was available at a depth of less than 3 meters, followed by Guntur at 40.52%, Kurnool at 33.33%, East Godavari at 29.35%, Kadapa at 26.47%, Srikakulam at 26.32%, Krishna at 25.93%, Prakasam at 18.68%, Visakhapatnam at 13.89%, West Godavari at 11.76% and Vizianagaram at 4.55%.