THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Borewells have come to dominate the rural-coastal panchayats in the district as an acute scarcity of potable water and irregular supply from the Kerala Water Authority(KWA) have forced people to go in for the alternative to tide over the crisis. Also, the fact that open wells in the region remain dry for a sizeable part of the year has prompted the move. For some persons, though, this presents a business opportunity and they sell water to individuals, hotels and resorts nearby.
“A permit from the Ground Water Department is mandatory for even considering the request. If the department issues permit, we follow suit. However, in several instances, those digging bore wells are unable to furnish the permit issued by the Ground Water Department. Sometimes people hinder the work and the panchayat will officially put an end to it and issue notice. There have been reports of illegal borewells being drilled in coastal areas,” said Anilkumar George, Karumkulam panchayat president.
According to Saji, Kottukal grama panchayat, “We stopped the illegal digging of a bore well in one of the wards a week ago. The area has good groundwater table and all the wells have good water level and yet they went on with the work without even getting a permit. Locals stopped them and we have served notice”.
The ecological impact of the groundwater resources being exploited can be terrifying in the longer run.
“The water is sold at prices starting from `800 depending on the amount of water. It is unfair to accuse everyone of overexploiting groundwater resources. Some of them use water from the wells for household purposes since water scarcity is a major issue in the region,” said Unni Madhavan, a social worker.