Hyderabad: The digging of illegal borewells has become rampant in the Malkajgiri division, revenue officials admit. Colony associations recently stopped the drilling of a heavy duty 6.5-inch borewell that was going up to 600 feet deep, which was being dug at about 3 am. The maximum permitted level of a borewell is 4 inches and 500 feet.
Anandhbagh Colony Association adviser Murali Krishna warned that the recent rains had increased the groundwater level but if the people kept digging borewells it would get depleted again. He said the Central Groundwater Board has identified Hyderabad as one of the 64 places where groundwater is over-exploited but the state had not taken any constructive action to prevent it.
Asked about the issue, Malkajgiri revenue division officer N. Madhusudhan said officials had recently addressed the problem of three illegal borewells. “As soon as we receive complaints we go to the site and stop the construction and seize the vehicle. Sometimes people take permission for a 4.5-inch borewell, but sink a 6-inch one, which is one of the major problems,” Mr Madhusudhan said.
Residents should work towards recharging groundwater rather than digging borewells, said environmentalist Kalpana Ramesh. She has come up with a new initiative, ‘Save 10K Bores’, which aims to revive defunct borewells.
Ms Ramesh said, “We cannot keep on creating new problems, we need to find solutions for the existing ones. We need to focus on recharging groundwater. Rooftops can be used for water sources instead of borewells. We can’t be selfish. Everyone needs to conserve water.” Malkajgiri resident Suresh said, “Some of the apartments are sinking more borewells after obtaining permission for one.
