Not all's well with borewells

The most conceivable alternative to tackle an ever-increasing water problem in the City, borewells are a boon as well as a curse. According to statistics accessed from the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) by this newspaper, Bangalore has been declared a high-density city with nearly two lakh borewells sunk for drawing potable water.
Besides, the BBMP and the BWSSB have decided to sink another 2,000-odd borewells this year.

Speaking to Deccan Herald, CGWB Regional Director Najeeb said: “The average depth to draw water in the City has been increasing considerably. People sink borewells to as deep as  20-25 metres to draw water. The average depth in the outlying areas has gone up to 700-800 feet,” he said.

Pointing out that over-exploitation in the outlying areas of the City has depleted the  water table, Najeeb said: “This has left little water for the burgeoning population of Greater Bangalore.”

With almost 35 per cent of the potable water being drawn from ground, Bangalore needs to replenish its water table before the situation worsens, he said.

“The civic bodies must involve people in implementing rainwater harvesting to replenish the water table. People simply forget to recharge the groundwater table after having quenched their thirst,” he says. However, turning a blind eye to experts and bowing to popular demands, the BBMP has been giving sanctions to corporators for sinking more borewells.

According to BBMP officials, six to seven borewells are being sunk in each of the 199 wards in the City, apart from the borewells sunk by the BWSSB.

Officials said despite their best efforts, most borewells were still in the commissioning stage. The Palike plans to sink 1,100 more borewells, and of those already sunk, only 400-500 are in ‘running’ condition. But the BBMP officials say borewells appear to be “hugely unsuccessful” in providing water to citizens. “Most of the borewells sunk by the BWSSB have either become defunct or failed due to the depleting groundwater level,” an official claimed.