As the city has faced drought for three years in a row, there is more pressure on the already plummeting groundwater level. "It is difficult to replenish groundwater in deep borewells," said S. Yuvaraj of the Chennai Borewell Rig Owners and Contractors Association. Parthasarathy of Triplicane note that residents are willing to spend ₹2.5 lakh to dig 500 feet borewells in Triplicane and Royapettah. Though Chennai Metrowater is the competent authority for implementing the provisions of the Chennai Metropolitan Groundwater (Regulation) Act, it often does not intervene for lack of manpower. Moreover, there is not enough monitoring or data on groundwater level in deep aquifers.The WRD has piezometers in 1,570 locations across the State to monitor water level in borewells.

Source: The Hindu April 22, 2019 02:40 UTC