Amidst the worsening water crisis in the city, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has announced action against people who drill unauthorised borewells.
The BWSSB on Sunday (March 10) issued an order stating that moving forward, in accordance with Section 11 of the Karnataka Ground Water (Regulation and Control of Development and Management) Act, 2011, complaints will be filed against individuals who drill borewells without proper authorisation. It also said that legal action would be pursued against such individuals in accordance with the specified rules and regulations.
The directive comes into effect on March 15, when people can submit applications on the BWSSB website for permission to drill borewells, said Ram Prasath Manohar V., Chairman of BWSSB.
He further said that public borewells will be accorded priority. Private borewells will be considered after a site inspection by concerned officials, contingent upon an expert report.
Bengaluru has been reeling from water shortage since last month, even before summer fully set in, following a drought-hit year after the failure of the monsoon. The State government has been making a slew of announcements to tackle the situation, with the action against unauthorised borewells being the latest. Earlier, it had called the prices of water tankers as complaints of unavailability and increasing rates started pouring in from several parts of the city.
