'Groundwater level falling gradually'

They also warned that if such situation continues and the groundwater aquifers are not recharged, the country will face massive disasters.

"If water table continues to fall, a vacuum will be created in the aquifer, which could cause the ground to subside suddenly," said Giasuddin Ahmed Choudhury, executive director of the Centre for Environmental and Geographic Information Services (CEGIS).

Groundwater aquifers cannot be recharged properly as most rivers and water bodies in the country have either dried up or become severely polluted, he said while delivering a lecture at a course on 'Water and Flood Management for Journalists'.

The water flow from the upstream has declined as India has constructed around 400 dams on the Ganges basin, which is the main source of Padma water, he added.

The Press Institute of Bangladesh (PIB) and Institute of Water and Flood Management (IWFM) of Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology (BUET) jointly organised the three-day course at the PIB auditorium in collaboration with the Institute of Water Modelling (IWM) and CEGIS.

Prof Rezaur Rahman of IWFM said water flow of the rivers have decreased to a great extent because of diversion of water further upstream through Farakka barrage and other dams constructed by India.

He suggested preserving water bodies and open spaces across the country so that the aquifers can be recharged through rainwater for the greater interest of the country.

Prof Abul Fazal M Saleh said about 75 percent of water used for irrigation is extracted from aquifers.

Deputy Minister for Infor-mation Abdus Salam Pintu distributed certificates among the participants of the course at its closing session yesterday. Information Secretary M Haider Ali and PIB Director General Dr Rezwan Hossain Siddiqui were also present.