65% increase in groundwater extraction in Goa over 12 years, shows govt data

Panaji: Though Goa has been catergorised as ‘safe’ with 21.4% groundwater extraction, the latest groundwater assessment for the state by the water resources department has shown that the level of extraction from 2011 to 2023 has increased by 65% over the 12-year period.
Bardez and Mormugao are the talukas where the extent of groundwater extraction is the highest as against the availability of the resource.
“The importance of groundwater resources for domestic, irrigation and other purposes is critical as a major share of these is met from groundwater sources,” says the report titled ‘Dynamic Groundwater Resources of Goa, 2023’.
The report adds, “A comparison of groundwater extraction since 2011 to 2023 indicates that extraction/draft has increased from 4,114 ham (hectare-metre) in 2011 to 6,775 ham in 2023 — an increase of about 65% in the last 12 years. This is probably due to an increase in the number of abstraction structures (manmade or natural systems like borewells used to extract groundwater) in the last decade or so.”
The groundwater availability and use have been computed for taluka-wise assessment units, and according to the assessment, the total rechargeable fresh groundwater resources have been computed at 39,624.4 ham and the annual extractable groundwater resource at 31,699.5 ham.
“The total extraction is 6,775 ham. The stage of groundwater development for the state, as a whole, is 21.3%,” the report says.
The report, however, says that in Goa the availability is more than extraction “thus the situation is more skewed towards huge availability of resources”.
Major extraction of about 56% in Goa is for domestic use (3,818.8 ham), whereas 37% is for irrigation (2,484.8 ham), and only 7% for industrial purposes (471.5 ham).
The report also states that the comparison of groundwater resources for 2020 and 2023 indicates that the rainfall recharge has increased by 2% in Goa, while recharge due to other sources has decreased by 40%.
“As per the assessment, it was observed that the total recharge from all sources is 39,624.4 ham and the recharge due to rainfall is the major contributor with 35,951 ham, followed by recharge due to the return flow from surface water irrigation (815.8 ham), and recharge due to water conservation structures (1,349.2 ham),” the report says.
It adds, “The recharge due to seepage from canals, return flow from groundwater irrigation and tanks and ponds is pegged at 746.3 ham, 558.4 ham, and 203.6 ham, respectively.”
The groundwater availability for future use for Goa is 24,740.2 ham and it ranges from 1,021.7 ham in Mormugao taluka to 3,040.6 ham in Salcete taluka, the report says.