The southern bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued notice to the Puducherry government in a case against sinking borewells to augment the supply of drinking water in urban areas.
The Union Territory of Puducherry (UT) is in the preliminary stages of implementing a comprehensive drinking water supply project to tackle the water crisis. Chief Minister N. Rangasamy, in the Assembly on March 24, said the government planned to sink deep borewells in rural areas to bring water through pipelines to urban localities at a cost of nearly ₹500 crore.
As per a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India submitted to the Assembly, the quality of the water supplied was poor. It is in this backdrop that residents of Puducherry, Villupuram, and Cuddalore have filed a case in the NGT against the sinking of bore wells in the villages of Karayamputhur, Panaiyadikuppam, Munmedu, and Kaduvanur by the government of Puducherry.
