March 27: It?s time for a ?red? alert! Three prime localities ? Chandmari, Dispur and Panbazar ? have been declared ?red areas? by the directorate of geology and mining. The reason: the groundwater level in these zones is fast getting depleted.

The directorate of geology and mining, which is conducting a survey to detect the exact groundwater level in Greater Guwahati, has also warned that these areas would face severe shortage as well as fluoride contamination of drinking water if rampant exploitation of groundwater sources is not stopped immediately.

While the level of groundwater sources is much below ?normal? in the entire Chandmari locality, the level varies in Dispur and Panbazar areas.

According to experts, the land surface in Chandmari area is a very hard rocky terrain of granite. This precludes the possibility of recharging groundwater. Sources said Jatia-Kahilipara area under Dispur and some parts of Panbazar face the menace of depleting groundwater levels as they do not bear the adequate and ideal aquifer layers.

?These localities have been designated red areas after studies of groundwater levels during the pre- and post-monsoon periods in the past four years. One of the reasons identified for fast depletion in greater Kahilipara area is rampant exploitation of groundwater sources as a fallout of erratic supply of drinking water by government agencies,? an official said.

Deputy director of the department of geology and mining, Abdul Halim Choudhury, confirmed the report and said a concerted effort was needed to generate awareness among residents to cease exploitation of groundwater sources.

Choudhury said the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority should not issue permission to apartment buildings without taking the consent of the department of geology and mining. ?Though it is mandatory for builders to approach our department to conduct a study on groundwater availability of construction sites, they often do not do so.?

Though Assam Real Estate and Infrastructure Developers Association president P.K. Sarma could not be contacted, several other builder-members admitted that they don?t have any option but to dig deep tubewells. ?This is because the government agencies fail to supply adequate drinking water to the city?s residents,? a builder said.

The department of geology and mining recently executed the city?s first rooftop rainwater harvesting project at its Kahilipara office. Choudhury wants rainwater harvesting to be made mandatory for apartment builders in Assam.