CHENNAI: In an effort to curb over-exploitation of groundwater resources, the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) is launching on a major digitisation drive across Tamil Nadu.

According to a report in The Hindu, the plan involves installing advanced sensors in an additional 1,500 monitoring wells over the next two years to establish a comprehensive data collection network.

Recent data has thrown light on some concerning information, with 395 of the state's 1202 assessment units being classified as over-exploited. These zones include major areas like Chennai, Vellore, Salem and Trichy where the annual use of groundwater surpasses its natural recharge.

The state's overall groundwater extraction has reached a precarious 73.50 percent which points to an alarming fact that nearly three-fourths of the annual extractable resource is already being utilised.

While 482 units are considered safe for consumption, the crisis is high in 34 other units including Vedaranyam and Nagapattinam, where the groundwater has a high salt content. The CGWB's initiative aims to provide open access to the data for various government agencies, voluntary organisations and the private sector.

Officials said that the main focus of the project is to enable these stakeholders to develop proper regulatory measures especially in the most vulnerable blocks.