Even after a sufficient amount of pre-monsoon rains, still, the underground water level of Udaipur and nearby regions is at an alarming rate. Out of the total 17 district blocks, the water level of 10 blocks within the Udaipur district range has reached the lowest limit in the past 6 years. Thus it is predicted that if the same conditions prevail and Udaipur does not receive ample rainfall, then the situation might become highly critical.
It may be noted that the Southern part of Rajasthan receives comparatively more rainfall as compared to other regions due to the building up of pressure in the catchment region of Aravalis. The chief rivers of the district are Jakham, Som, Wakal, Sei, Sabarmati, Gomti, and Berach whose waters are channelized through a number of dams and artificial lakes including Jaisamand, Udaisagar, Pichhola, Fatehsagar, Som Kagdar, and Jakham.
Groundwater department conducts water level audits four times a year. According to the recent audit done in May, it has been recognized that the water levels have reached the lowest in past 6 years. As per the reports of groundwater department, among 17 blocks, the Badgaon block’s condition is dreadful. The water level in Badgaon region has dropped as below as 19.47 meters which is 5.68 meters more as compared to last year’s data.
With the alarming depletion rate of underground water, a severe water scarcity has arisen, not only in rural but also in urban regions of Udaipur.
According to water conservation management unit of IIT Roorkee, to fulfill the water needs of people of Udaipur till 2025, we need 2 lac gun meter of water per day, which means Udaipur will require water capacity equivalent to 9 FatehSagar lakes. Furthermore, as per water resource replenishment department, there is high need to recycle the waste waters and replenish the underground wells with rain water harvesting systems, otherwise hardly any groundwater will remain for future generations.