Bengaluru, Oct 5: The Karnataka government will launch a statewide ‘Borewell Suraksha Abhiyan’ to identify and safely close failed, abandoned and unsafe open borewells, with the aim of preventing accidents and moving towards an open-borewell-free state.
Minor Irrigation Minister Ajay Dharam Singh said the campaign will begin with borewells drilled under the Minor Irrigation Department that are no longer functional or remain unsecured. The initiative will later be extended to borewells under other government departments, local bodies and those located in public places.
The Ground Water Development Directorate has been directed to prepare a comprehensive action plan covering the identification, verification, safe closure, coordination and monitoring of unsafe borewells across the state.
The first phase will focus on verifying departmental records and locating failed or defunct borewells that may have been left unsecured. The government also plans to identify borewells that may not have been captured in official records.
Citizen reporting system planned
As part of the campaign, the government is exploring a WhatsApp and web-based reporting system that would allow citizens to report unsafe borewells by sharing photographs and location details.
The proposed system could use geo-tagging and digital tracking to monitor complaints from reporting and verification through to the safe closure of the borewell.
In the second phase, the campaign will be expanded in coordination with other departments, local bodies and agencies to identify and secure unsafe borewells across public and other areas.
The initiative is aimed at strengthening existing safety measures and ensuring that abandoned borewells do not remain a danger to the public. Karnataka has previously introduced regulatory measures concerning the construction, use and closure of borewells.
The government said the broader objective is to build a coordinated system in which unsafe borewells can be identified quickly, reported by citizens and safely closed, helping Karnataka move towards its goal of an “Open Borewell-Free Karnataka.”
