Farmers should recharge existing borewells instead of drilling fresh ones when a borewell runs dry, said N.J. Devaraja Reddy, a hydrogeologist and borewell recharge expert, on Sunday (May 17).

Mr. Reddy was at Seege village, near Hassan, to oversee the recharging of borewells on a private farm, where he spoke to mediapersons about the need to change farmers’ approach to groundwater management. “Farmers tend to drill a new borewell the moment an existing one runs dry. That is not the solution. There are effective methods to recharge existing borewells and draw sufficient water for agricultural use,” he said.

He was overseeing the recharging of three borewells that had gone dry, despite being located close to the Seege tank. “The presence of a large tank nearby is no guarantee of adequate water. Even borewells drilled within a tank bed can run dry. Recharging is, therefore, essential,” he said.

Explaining his recharging method, Mr. Reddy said an 8ft x 8ft x 8ft pit must be dug around the borewell and filled with boulders and gravel, with the surface covered by a quality mesh. Holes should also be drilled along the casing pipe and covered with mesh to ensure only filtered water enters. Rainwater collected from the surrounding area is then channelled into this pit.

“By conservative estimates, around 40 lakh litres of rainwater are collected per acre of land annually in a typical village, based on average rainfall. All of that water can be directed underground through this method. It recharges the borewell, raises the water table, and improves water quality,” he said. In recent days, people have been facing the shortage of drinking water in many places, including the Malnad region. One of the steps to tackle the problem would be to recharge the existing borewell, he added.