The water conservation department has imposed a strict ban on digging borewells that are deeper than 200 feet in a move to mitigate groundwater depletion.
The water conservation department has imposed a strict ban on digging borewells that are deeper than 200 feet in a move to mitigate groundwater depletion. Errant companies will be fined, according to the decision. The ban has come after social activist Anna Hazare wrote to the state government, asking it to take strict action against borewells that are deeper than 200 feet, which exploit groundwater resources.
“Taking cognisance of Anna Hazareji’s letter, we have issued an order today to all collectors to restrict the depth of borewells to less than 200 feet. The district administration has been told to impose fines on companies that flout norms by digging beyond permissible limits and exploiting water. Anna Hazareji has expressed his concern about the depleting groundwater levels in his letter. The drought situation has pushed people to dig more and deeper to get water,” an official from the water conservation department said.
The official also admitted that the provisions of Maharashtra Groundwater (Development and Management Act) 2009 have not been properly implemented. The Act has provisions like management of groundwater, controlling overexploitation of groundwater resources, focus on source and resource management through controlling demand and augmenting supply, focus on water accounting, crop planning and groundwater use plan and maintenance of water quality.
The new instructions by the water resources department will force the administration at the district level to monitor illegal digging of borewells. “Usually, borewells are dug up in the night when the administrations cannot find out. But we have now asked them to watch vehicles carrying borewell technology and pipes to bring water on the surface. The vehicles belonging to any company can be confiscated, if found guilty of flouting norms. We have also asked the people to come forward and speak out against illegal digging,” the official added. The district administration has found that people have dug up to 1,200 feet into the earth with the latest technology. However, experts have repeatedly warned the government against digging borewells beyond the permissible limits.
The official said government schemes like Jalyukta Shivar have helped in recharging groundwater. “We had taken over 5,000 villages last year and the similar villages this year to implement the Jalyukta Shivar scheme. We have seen good results at many places as the water level has improved,” he added.
