Water level in Bisalpur dam that caters to the needs of Jaipur is running low
Highlights
- Main source of water, Bisalpur dam, has enough water to last only a month
- Jaipur has received only 116 mm rainfall so far this year
- 12 districts in Rajasthan received less than 60 per cent average rainfall
Jaipur is staring at a serious risk of running out of water in a month if there is no rain, according to the Rajasthan Public Health Engineering Department.
The main source of water, Bisalpur dam, that caters to the needs of the mostly dry city with a population of over 30 lakh - which the UNESCO added to its famous World Heritage Site list last month - has enough water to last only a month.
The dam has a full capacity of 1,095 cusec metres; the current water level is 64.93 cusec metres, or 5.93 per cent.
Jaipur has received only 116 mm rainfall so far this year. In comparison, the capital of the desert state received 225 mm rainfall by this time of the year last year.
The UNESCO last month added Jaipur to its famous list of World Heritage Site
Twelve districts in Rajasthan received less than 60 per cent average rainfall compared to last year. Half the state, especially western Rajasthan, is now staring at drought.
The state has 810 small and big dams and of these, 517 have less than 33 per cent water.
The groundwater level in Rajasthan has fallen by over 62 per cent in the past decade, according to a study by the Central Ground Water Board, a government body that conducts exploratory drilling programmes and monitor ground water levels.
Key sources of water in cities across the country drying up in peak summer have alarmed environmentalists.
Chennai faced a severe water crisis this summer after all its four reservoirs that supply drinking water to the city became bone dry due to scanty rain. The state government had to sanction Rs 65 crore in bringing water in two trains from outside the city.
A recent study by the government think tank NITI Aayog said 21 Indian cities, including the national capital and IT hub of Bengaluru, will run out of groundwater by next year. Two lakh Indians die every year because they don't have a safe water supply, the report said. A shocking 600 million people face "high to extreme" water stress, it said.