ABSTRACT
According to the latest reports from the Central Groundwater Board (CGWB), nearly 56% of the tube-wells have a low level of groundwater and it declined sharply in 2012. In India, the main reason for groundwater depletion is groundwater pumping by tube or bore wells. Among many cities in West Bengal, Kolkata suffers from problems of land subsidence and lack of drinking water. The major objective of this study was to scrutinize the level of groundwater in Kolkata city and to identify related issues. This study revealed that unscientific exploitation of groundwater increases the gap in the lower level surfaces under the city. Therefore, Kolkata city has experienced a bowl-like feature of groundwater profile, which indicates Kolkata city will face major land subsidence in the future.
