BENGALURU: The Department of Mines and Geology: No permission will be given to drill more borewells.
State-owned bodies: We need to drill more borewells under government schemes.
According to Mines and Geology Department officials, Bengaluru Urban, Bengaluru Rural, Ramanagara, Chikkaballapur, Tumakuru, Kolar and other districts have been over-exploited for groundwater.
But a few agencies that come under the Minority and Social Welfare Department have announced new borewells under various schemes.
As per the Karnataka Regulation for Protection of Sources of Drinking Water Act, the authorities cannot give permission to drill any more borewells.
“But, on an average, more than 60,000 to 70,000 borewells are permitted under the Ganga Kalyan scheme. Borewells are sanctioned through B R Ambedkar Development Corporation, Devaraj Urs Backward Classes Development Corporation, Karnataka Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation and even Minority Welfare Department. Since it is a government scheme, the agencies will get permission to drill borewells even when there is no water,” said an official from Mines and Geology Department.
“Since the state government is above all the departments, political leaders keep announcing budgets to drill new borewells with an eye on vote banks. They just want numbers and are least bothered about the drilling effects. With increase in the depth of borewells, the water piped up has more harmful chemicals. The depth to which borewells are being dug to get water is increasing every year,” he said.