Rain lifts Visakhapatnam groundwater, but levels remain below last year’s mark
Heavy rain has improved groundwater levels in Visakhapatnam district, although the real-time average on September 29 remained 1.29 metres deeper than on the same date last year. Officials said recharge differed sharply between locations and urged households, gated communities and builders to install systems for capturing rainwater.
Heavy rainfall has raised groundwater levels in Visakhapatnam district, but the district’s real-time average remained deeper than it was on the corresponding date last year, according to groundwater officials cited by The Hindu. The real-time district average stood at 7.20 metres below ground level on September 29, compared with 5.91 metres on the same date in 2025. The current reading was therefore 1.29 metres deeper.
The monthly average, calculated from readings taken up to September 25, improved to 9.88 metres below ground level from 11.51 metres in August. This represented a rise of 1.63 metres in the water table. The district received 337.6 millimetres of rain between September 21 and 26 after a deep depression formed over the Bay of Bengal.
Cumulative rainfall from June 1 to September 29 was 654.9 millimetres, or 15% above the normal 571.2 millimetres for the period. The effect varied by location. In Visakhapatnam Rural, levels rose by 5.90 metres at Endada and 4.11 metres at Arilova, while Madhurawada recorded a fall of 1.34 metres.
District Groundwater Officer Kankipati Pushpa Latha attributed the differences partly to catchment conditions. She said Arilova had a larger catchment and was relatively low-lying, while Madhurawada had a smaller catchment and extensive concrete surfaces. She said, to her knowledge, the latter also lacked recharge pits or open tanks.
Pushpa Latha said recent readings should not be treated as the final response to the rainfall because infiltration through rock layers could take 10 to 15 days. She urged households to install recharge pits or rainwater-harvesting systems and called on gated communities and residents’ associations to act collectively.
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