Land and soil
Water table
The water table is the depth at which ground is saturated with water. It rises when more water soaks in than is pumped out and falls when the reverse happens. Its depth decides whether a borewell works and whether deep rooted trees survive a dry year.
A falling water table is the clearest sign of land in trouble and it shows up in a well log long before it shows in satellite imagery.
Recharge structures and restored cover raise it over years rather than seasons, which is why a lease measured in decades is the honest unit for this work.