AGARTALA, July 17 (TIWN): The central government is considering a scheme for groundwater development in Eastern and Northeastern India during the 12th Five Year Plan period. The Ministry of Water, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation recently sought comments from all state governments for the proposed scheme. Most of the NE states didn’t provide their insight on the issue, the source said.

The source further said that the state utilized barely 10 percent of its groundwater resource for supplying safe drinking water till date. The Department was fully aware of the status of groundwater resource use, the source stated adding that the government is allowed to use upto fifty percent of the groundwater asset.

The Ministry proposed a 90:10 funding pattern for the states from Northeast according to the previous policy of the UPA government.

A separate source today said that while the government claimed to have exploited 10 percent of the state’s groundwater assets, out of the entire water resource used for irrigation, drinking water and other purposes in the state, barely 10 percent water is collected from surface water sources. The rest ninety percent is collected from groundwater sources. Most surface water sources of the state went dry in the past few years with major rivers like River Gomati and River Howrah experiencing dry patches in the past few consecutive years.

Asked about plans of the government to replenish the declining surface water sources, the source said that the state government is contemplating to operate a plan to reclaim the river through a joint project implemented by the Department of Science and Technology, DWS and Revenue.

Tripura recorded an average of 2,200 mm rainfall in the previous year, the source said. He added that average annual rainfall drastically came down since three decades back when the figures stood at 3,000 mm per year.

The government is reported to be using embankments in many areas to facilitate higher sub-soil tapping of water into the groundwater reservoirs. Uot of 100 mm rainfall, barely 15 mm was recharged into groundwater sources by sub-soil tapping in the previous year, the source tipped.