Zero applications for borewells in Shaikpet has officials worried

HYDERABAD: Ground water exploitation in Shaikpet has set alarm bells ringing in various government wings.
Citizens and commercial establishments have not filed a single application seeking permission for sinking borewells in the last one-and-half years, hinting that they were going ahead with drilling without the mandatory nod from the relevant authorities.
According to ground water department (GWD) officials, Hyderabad, they used to receive 40-50 requisitions a month from the mandal revenue office (MRO), Shaikpet, seeking permission to sink borewells. “We don’t have any pending applications for over one-and-half years,” a senior GWD official, told TOI.
GWD has been receiving 20 to 30 requisitions from each tahsildar, except Shaikpet mandal, and clearing them based on reports from geologists within 10 days, said the official. As per the Telangana Water, Tree and Land Act (WALTA), no borewell should be sunk beyond 120 metres depth, the official said.
When contacted, Dy MRO, Shaikpet, M Chandrasekhar said that GWD was permitting borewells up to 120 metre depth, but in Shaikpet area ground water can be found only after digging 200-300 metres because of the rocky terrain.
“As a result, applicants are hesitating to approach us and taking up digging operation on their own. However, the revenue department is tracking illegal borewells and taking stringent action against violators by imposing penalties between 50,000 and 1 lakh and sealing the borewells,” he claimed.