The Alliance for Good Governance, a collective of voluntary organisations and environmentalists, has objected to the move by Public Works Department to drill new borewells using funds from AFD (Agence Francaise De Development).
In response to a report, 'Dip in water quality in urban areas' published in The Hindu on October 29, the convenor of AGG, C. H. Balamohan said the PWD’s move to have more borewells as a step towards providing potable drinking water would be disastrous for the UT.
The PWD planned to dig around 84 borewells near river beds utilising ₹454 crore availed as loan from AFD.
Mr. Balamohan said he had written to AFD Country Director, Bruno Bosle, urging him to scrap the project.
He had cited a report of Central Ground Water Board advising UT against drilling borewells.
“ As the goundwater development in the Puducherry region is rather very high, no further groundwater development is to be encouraged. On the other hand, there is an urgent need for regulation of over-exploitation, protection and augmentation of groundwater resources to recharge the depleted aquifer systems.” he quoted the technical report of the Board in the letter to AFD.
