Concerned about the over-exploitation of groundwater in many parts of the state, the government has plans to strengthen the Groundwater Regulatory Authority, said Law Minister T B Jayachandra here on Wednesday.
The Minister said in over 35 taluks across 12 districts, the groundwater table has fallen to alarming levels. The situation in three taluks is critical, while the rest are categorised as semi-critical, he said.
He further said the rate of failure of borewells has crossed 35 per cent, and this will make things worse, he warned.
To address groundwater problems at the earliest, the non-functional Groundwater Regulatory Authority needs to be strengthened, he stressed.
Alternatively, Jayachandra suggested restricting digging of new borewells only for drinking water purposes.
Informing that the Ground Water Directorate would be established to prevent indiscriminate exploitation of sub-soil water, he said necessary steps will be taken to equip the authority with required staff and to implement laws.