Drought: Kerala govt to regulate borewells

: In view of severe drought and fast depletion of ground water, the Kerala government has imposed strict restrictions for the digging of borewells in the state.
An order has been issued entrusting District Collectors to invoke relevant sections of the Disaster Management Act to regulate the digging of new borewells in their respective areas.
The construction can be stopped as per the recommendations of the District Groundwater Department officials, it said.
"The construction of private borewells should be regulated," the order added.
The government has directed the District Disaster Management Authority to meet weekly to review and discuss drought-related issues.

The district collectors were also instructed to identify the 'quarry-ponds,' known as 'parakkulam' in local parlance, in each district and ensure that water from such sources was not exploited by anyone.
Direction was also given to use GPS-enabled tanker lorries to distribute drinking water in critical areas, facing acute shortage of drinking water, official sources added.