Over the past month alone, there have been 36 reported cases of illegal borewell drilling across various police stations in the city.
These cases are distributed across different divisions, with instances reported in various parts of the city, including east, southeast, central, northeast, northwest, west, south, and southwest divisions.
The depletion of groundwater levels, exacerbated by scanty rainfall in the past year, has led to approximately 75% of the city’s 3.50 lakh residential borewells drying up, with the water level drastically decreasing in the remaining borewells.
Officials from the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) highlighted that unauthorized borewells are depleting valuable underground water resources. BWSSB made it mandatory, as of March 3, for anyone wishing to drill a borewell to obtain permission from the water body. Consequently, 36 cases have been registered against violators of this directive.
Notably, most illegal borewell drilling activities occur at night, under the assumption of evading authorities. However, concerned neighbors have been alerting BWSSB and lodging complaints due to the noise generated by borewell drilling.
BWSSB Chairman Ram Prasath Manohar V reiterated the board’s commitment to taking legal action against those involved in illegal borewell drilling. This includes both those commissioning the drilling and the operators themselves, who will face legal proceedings.
A 10 percent water cut has been implemented since April 14, affecting bulk users consuming between 20 to 40 lakh liters of water.
BWSSB has also taken action against residential properties suspected of clandestinely supplying water to private tankers, dispatching over 200 notices to such households. Currently, BWSSB serves the water requirements of 10.84 lakh households.
