It is now or never for Vasai Virar groundwater levels

Vasai Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVCMC) is taking steps to increase the groundwater level. VVCMC is encouraging schools to set up rain water harvesting along with making it compulsory for housing societies to have rain water harvesting plants.

Vasai- Virar area was developed and established as a Municipal Corporation in 2009. With rapid urbanization, the city faced the problem of illegal constructions. As the value of land increased, people illegally destroyed water bodies and now it has affected ground water level severely.

The Groundwater Surveys and Development Agency (GSDA) report states that the level of ground water in Maharashtra has decreased by one to two meters. Certain parts of Maharashtra, especially the Vidarbha region is turning into a desert. The land is turning saline which is a sign of desertification and it will not only affect the availability of drinking water but also lead to decrease in the productivity of crops. Instead of having sufficient rainfall we are still suffering from the issue of drinking water. The reason behind this is not preserving that adequate rain water. If we were to preserve it, we could use it throughout the year, not just for drinking but for farming as well.

Vasai-Virar lies on the western coast of Maharashtra and has salty ground water and very little drinking water. Hence the ancestors of the area built Bawkhals to store rainwater. The entire region has 1141 Bawkhals and 441 wells. Bawkhals are man made and are directly connected to underground wells. When the water of wells decreases in summer season, the water from bawkhals are naturally transferred to wells to maintain the water level. This water from Bawkhals are also used for farming activities since farming is one of the major activities of the Vasai region. One can even do pisciculture in those Bawkhals.

Sachin Marti, a social activist who has done research on ground water level in Vasai, said, "One bawkhal has the capacity to store eight to ten lakh liters of rainwater. Vasai-Virar is a coastal region where the rainwater from this region directly meets the ocean and hence the water becomes useless for drinking. It is important that we store that water".

The region receives about 2000- 2200 mm of rainfall annually. Bawkhals also act as flood prevention since a huge amount of water can be accommodated in them to avoid it from flowing. Marti suggested that there is a need to preserve natural water bodies instead of renovating them. There are huge trees planted on the edges of bawkhals by ancestors to prevent precipitation and such things need to be preserved.

The VVCMC receives drinking water from Surya Dam which is built on Surya river located in Palghar. With the increasing population of the Palghar region, citizens staying there have started opposing the supply of water from Surya dam to the Vasai-Virar region since in summer the water becomes inadequate for farming which is a major activity of Palghar.

Swapnil Duchna, the Chief of Maharashtra NavNirman Sena in Vasai, said that it is necessary for VVCMC to have some of their own water bodies on which the region can sustain itself in case of any emergency. Water bodies are now turning into dumping grounds which is affecting the quality of groundwater. It is time not just to preserve but to build more Bawkhals, and the Municipal Corporation should act in emergency to take strict actions against illegal destruction of water bodies.