The residents of Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) are now required to seek permission from authorities before digging borewells, and will be charged for groundwater extraction beyond a specified limit.
The announcement was conveyed through a draft regulation updated on the SCB website on December 27. Military establishments falling within the local limits of the Board must also report the presence of borewells.
As per the regulation, charges for residential borewell extraction exceeding 100 litres per day will be set at ₹3 per kilolitre. For commercial/industrial borewells extracting more than 50 litres per day, a charge of ₹10 per kilolitre will apply.
Despite the regulation’s aim to preserve natural water sources, residents’ welfare associations have expressed discontent. Sankti Ravinder Babu, general secretary of Cantonment Vikas Manch, an NGO, criticised the lack of awareness about the draft regulation. “The SCB uploaded the draft regulation on its website, and until we checked online, we were not aware of it. Fellow residents were shocked when we shared the information with them,” he said, adding that he was worried that the proposed ₹3 per kilolitre could increase to ₹30 in the future.
The SCB has asked for suggestions and objections from residents, inviting them to submit appeals within 30 days from the date of release of the regulation.
Speaking to The Hindu, Madhukar Naik, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SCB, expressed the board’s intention to oversee the excavation of borewells in the cantonment area. Mr. Naik highlighted the imposition of charges due to the rampant digging of borewells and excessive extraction of groundwater, contributing to the depletion of water resources. Additionally, Mr. Naik acknowledged the anticipation of numerous objections to the regulation.
