Dikhyaa Mohanty 
Nine blocks in Odisha now have semi-critical groundwater levels, which raises major concerns about the unchecked use of groundwater and the state of growing urbanization. The semi-critical blocks are Khordha, Bhubaneswar, Bolagarh, Talcher, Baliapal, Korei, Jharsuguda, Nayagarh, and Nuapada, according to the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB). Eighty-six percent of the recharged groundwater in the Bhubaneswar block is taken out annually.
“I have been here for the last 26 years. Once the groundwater level was good in the area. But it has decreased drastically in the last two to three years. The water level drops below the halfway mark towards the end of February every year,” said Mamta Martha, a resident of Kapilaprasad in Old Town, Bhubaneswar.
The groundwater table is dropping alarmingly in several areas of the Smart City, not only in Old Bhubaneswar. Six blocks in the state had groundwater levels in 2020 that fell into the semi-critical range, according to CGWB data. However, by 2023, the figure had increased to nine. That is to say, over 70% of the water that seeps into these blocks of ground is being collected.
The countrywide rate of groundwater extraction is 64%, and in our state, it is 46%, according to the regional director of the CGWB. But as the state becomes more urbanized and economically developed, groundwater is being used more and more, and if action is not done now, this could eventually become a disaster.
“Even though the national stats indicate that we are safe, we shouldn’t let that fool us. According to Dr. BK Sahu, In-Charge Regional Director of the Central Ground Water Board, “the situation can deteriorate quickly if we keep using the groundwater the way we are using it now and without any conservation measures.”
