Thiruvananthapuram: There is one business thriving in this all-consuming heat – drilling borewells. If the number of autorickshaws bearing the contact details of borewell contractors is any indication, the demand for borewells is limitless.
However, how does one know whom to fall back on? “There have been many cases where they stop drilling the moment they see water. But this would be surface water in the laterite aquifiers, and not the water table,” says CCDU director V. Subhash Chandra Bose.
This can exhaust other open wells nearby, he says. Moreover, if the hole is not deep enough, the water drawn will be dirty as mud will be mixed with it, he adds.
The groundwater department would send out geologists to investigate the site after receiving applications. However, this year, there are not enough experts to help. According to an official of the department, they have sent geologists from all districts to Kasargod, which is badly affected by the drought.
Official help: Still they insist that it is better to wait for help from the department, rather than knock on the doors of private agencies. “People in their panic would go to anyone to dig a borewell. They can register their complaints if they are not satisfied with the work of private agencies. They need to give the contact details of the rig owners. But why do that. It is better to take help directly from the department,” says the official.
Registration: The government will insist that every rig be registered with the department. This year, steps were taken to start the registration process. However, as borewell contractors challenged the government order which imposes a fee of Rs 50,000 for registration, the Kerala High Court has stayed the decision.
The objective of introducing such a registration is to collect the data on how many borewells are being dug. “There have been complaints that groundwater is being depleted because of borewells. It is to assess the number of borewells dug and the capacity of water drawn that we will be introducing this registration system,” said the official.
