Kavita Singh Rathore, Bhopal
In areas where there is water shortage due to non-availability of water facilities every day, borewells are dug in those places. So that the problem of water in that area and its surrounding areas is resolved, but today borewells are becoming a big problem and cause of trouble in the cities of the state.
Because, due to these borewells, the groundwater level is declining rapidly. Apart from this, news of children falling in these dug borewells has also come to light many times. Keeping all these things in mind, the Bhopal Collector had banned the digging of borewells in the city for this year as well.
For information, let us tell you that according to the rules laid down by the Central Government, before starting the construction work for digging borewells, it is mandatory for all the industries using groundwater, mining and all the institutions related to infrastructure to take permission with a no objection certificate from the Central Ground Water Board located at Paryavas Bhawan. Whereas, the central government had laid down the rule of taking NOC first for extracting any kind of groundwater in 2020 itself. Even after such rules, negligence like digging by borewells is coming to the fore. If reports are to be believed, currently only 535 people from the whole of Madhya Pradesh have taken NOC for extracting groundwater. While constructing a borewell, there is no guarantee that water will come out of it or not. In such a situation, when water does not come out of the borewell, then people leave it open like this. In which children fall while playing and many remain trapped for several days. In many cases, children even lose their lives. If we talk about the past day, then the news of a 4-year-old girl falling into a borewell has come to light from Gujarat. On the other hand, if we talk about Madhya Pradesh only, then in April, a 6-year-old innocent died after falling into a borewell in Rewa. Many such incidents have come to the fore before. In March, a case of another child falling into a borewell and dying was reported from Vidisha. Let us tell you that, troubled by the incidents of children falling into open borewells, in April 2024, the government took strict steps and announced strict action against leaving the borewell open. Not only this, it was also announced to give an incentive of two thousand rupees to the person giving information about the open borewell. Even after this, cases of children falling into borewells are coming to the fore.
Disobedience of the orders of many collectors of the state Actually, Bhopal Collector had recently banned the digging of borewells in the city till June 30. A major reason behind this ban order is also being said to be the fall in groundwater level due to the intense heat in the past days. Now the big thing has come to light that, despite the ban on digging borewells till June 30, borewells are being dug continuously in many cities of the state and the collector’s order is being ignored. If sources are to be believed, the areas where borewell construction work is going on, these borewell construction works are being done without permission. Recently, news of borewell construction work came from Tribhuvan Colony located in Salaiya of Ward 83 of Bhopal and Lalita Nagar of Kolar. Which were started without permission. Whereas, the work of borewell construction is started only after having permission and no objection certificate in hand.
Borewells are also dug in Gram Panchayats
The surprising thing is that, if the reports coming out continuously for some time are to be believed, hundreds of borewells are being made every year in 222 Gram Panchayats of Bhopal. Which are being made without permission only in the name of infrastructure works and industries.
When Navbharat talked to Bhopal Mayor Malti Rai about the borewell digging going on in Tribhuvan Colony located in Salaiya of Ward 83, it came to light that, in such cases, action is taken only till the machine is standing at the place of digging. She also said that, after checking the permission to dig a borewell, their machine was confiscated.
– Malti Rai
– Mayor Bhopal
