There are around 1,500 companies that are in the business of sinking borewells in the State. However, only 350 among them are registered, said the Karnataka Rig Owners’ Association (KROA).
In such a situation, it is difficult to fix responsibility on anyone, said S. Nagesh, secretary of KROA. “Though registration of units is stipulated, very few follow them,” he told The Hindu .
Attributing the increased diameter of the bores to the tragedy, he said while the standard is 6.5 inches in south Karnataka, it is 8 inches in north Karnataka, because of the shrinking groundwater table.
RulesWhile the rules stipulate that companies should also be held responsible for a tragedy, the owners say this would imply an escalation in costs.
The association will discuss the issue of companies owning responsibility of closing up unyielding borewells, and including the cost of that in the agreement with the owner. Mr. Nagesh said unused wells are capped in places like Bangalore, but not elsewhere. The association has decided to issue directions to all companies under them to create awareness on sealing borewells.
Others responsibleThe Department of Mines and Geology and the Karnataka Ground Water Authority should also bear the responsibility for the tragedy, as they have to force the owners of borewells to seal unyielding ones, he said.
