Explained: Why borewells continue to be death-traps | Explained News, The Indian Express

Explained: Why borewells continue to be death-traps | Explained News, The Indian Express

Written by Anju Agnihotri Chaba |Published: June 12, 2019 2:51:19 am

Explained: Why borewells continue to be death-traps

After a borewell goes dry, farmers abandon it after taking out the water pump, and pulling out the PVC pipe to the extent possible for re-use. The guidelines to cover these borewells are not strictly implemented.

A borewell is a well — 100 to 1500 ft deep — in which a PVC pipe of diameter 6 to 12 inches is used to extract ground water for irrigation purpose.

As Punjab government re-issues guidelines on digging and closing borewells, ANJU AGNIHOTRI CHABA explains why borewells are left uncovered and why they continue to claim lives.