BHUBANESWAR: Ministry of Environment and Forests Secretary Tishyarakshit Chatterjee on Thursday expressed grave concern over the fast depleting groundwater resources in the country and said the Indo-Gangetic plane was losing about 10 feet groundwater every year. The latest NASA pictures suggest that the plane, comprising states such as Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, is witnessing a shocking rate of depletion of groundwater table. “If this is the way it is going to be, it is unbelievably fast,” he said. The alarming situation, he said, calls for groundwater recharge on a mission mode. It is in the interest of the industries to grow forests since afforestation is the best method to recharge the water table. “Forget about your corporate social responsibility (CSR), grow trees with long roots because planting trees is important for your survival,” he told the industries. Chatterjee said per capita fresh water availability at 231 cubic meter is very low in India. In China, it is 1,145 cubic metre, whereas it is 4,400 cubic metre in the US and 6,000 cubic meter in Russia and Australia. Groundwater is not there anymore and afforestation can only bring it up, he said. The Secretary said over 90 per cent water bodies in India were polluted beyond bathing use. Outdoor pollution is so high that it is as good as smoking 40 cigarettes a day. He urged the industries to take environment as a business proposition.
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