The Karnataka government is launching a borewell safety campaign to identify and safely seal failed and unused open borewells, following concerns that such sites pose risks to children and livestock. Small Irrigation Minister Ajay Dharam Singh said the campaign would combine public awareness with departmental monitoring and a tracking system for closures.
The Directorate of Groundwater Development has been instructed to prepare a comprehensive plan covering the campaign’s structure, implementation process, collection of department-wise information and supervision arrangements, the minister said.
According to the minister, borewells that fail to yield water after drilling or are found unfit for use must be closed. He said Karnataka had created legal provisions for necessary safety measures and a monitoring system in line with Supreme Court directions. Action would be taken against those who leave such borewells open despite the requirement to close them, he added.
The first phase will focus on borewells drilled by the Small Irrigation Department. Officials will identify all failed and unused borewells created by the department and check whether they have been closed safely. The announcement does not specify a deadline for completing this first phase.
In the next phase, information will be collected on borewells drilled by other government departments, local bodies and private individuals. Measures to close those borewells will then be taken in coordination with the departments concerned, according to the minister.
The proposed monitoring system is expected to use a web-based platform to collect information about open borewells, along with geotagged photographs showing their locations. A tracking mechanism will also be developed to record the closure process. These measures are intended to create a location-based record of open borewells and provide a way to monitor whether identified sites have been secured.
The campaign places responsibility for borewell safety across multiple layers of administration. The Small Irrigation Department will lead the initial identification exercise, while the Directorate of Groundwater Development will prepare the broader implementation framework. Other government departments, local bodies and private individuals will be brought into the information-gathering and closure process in the subsequent phase.
The minister said public awareness would form part of the campaign because open failed borewells continue to endanger children and livestock. The announcement, however, did not provide a statewide count of open or unused borewells, details of the proposed budget, or the districts that will be covered first.
The government’s immediate next step is the preparation of the campaign plan and the identification of borewells drilled by the Small Irrigation Department. Further details on the web-based reporting system, the geotagging process, departmental responsibilities and the timeline for action are expected as the campaign is implemented.
