Bhubaneswar: The groundwater levels are falling in majority of areas across the state, a data shared by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi revealed in Assembly today.  

In a written reply to BJP MLa Tankadhar Tripathy, Majhi presented a data on decrease in groundwater levels across the state in last five years. 

As per the data, the state registered fall in groundwater levels during 2020 to 2024. While the ground levels declined by 4.94 metre in 2020, the depletion was 4.91 metre in 2021, 5.22 metre in 2022, 5.51 metre in 2022, 5.47 metre in 2023 and -0.53 metre in 2024. 

The rapid groundwater depletion was reported in 23 districts, of total 30 districts in Odisha, the data revealed. 

However, the water levels rose in a few coastal and western districts such as Balasore, Bhadrak, Cuttack, Kendrapara, Malkangiri, Nuapada, and Sambalpur in last five years. 

The CM stated that state government is executing two schemes -- Community Harnessing & Harvesting Rain Water Artificially from Terrace to Aquifer (CHHATA) and Artificial Recharge to Underground Aquifer (ARUA) -- from 2022-23 to 2026-27 FY to increase groundwater levels in the state.  

While the rainwater has been harvested through 29,500 private buildings, 1925 government buildings in 27 urban areas under 52 blocks under CHHATA scheme, the initiatives have been taken for rainwater conservation through 2400 recharge shafts under ARUA scheme. 

Moreover, the Agriculture department has undertaken various programmes to increase groundwater levels by implementing Instream Storage Structure (ISS) project in different rivers and constructing embankments on the edge of natural nullahs, CM Majhi stated in his reply.