Har to follow SC guidelines to prevent borewell accidents

In a written communication addressed to all concerned officers, they have been asked to follow the Supreme Court guidelines issued in 2009 when the Court had taken suo-motu initiative following the various cases of children being trapped or fallen into borewells or tubewells or abandoned wells.

"These reports have been coming from various states. Therefore, the Supreme Court had directed various State governments for taking immediate measures to prevent such kind of incidents in future," an official spokesman said here today.

According to these guidelines, the owner of the land or premises, before taking any step to construct bore-well or tube-well should inform in writing at least 15 days in advance to the concerned authorities in the State that is district collector or magistrate or gram panchayat sarpanch or public health department or municipal corporation officers as the case might be.

Registration of all the drilling agencies that is government or semi-government or private should be mandatory with the district administration.

Sign boards should be erected at the time of construction near the well with details of complete address of the drilling agency and the user agency or owner of the well.

Barbed wire fencing or any other suitable barrier should be erected around the well during construction.

A cement or concrete platform, measuring 0.30 metres above and 0.30 metres below the ground level, should be constructed around the well casing, guidelines said.

Well assembly should be capped by welding steel plate or by providing a strong cap to be fixed on the casing pipe with bolts and nuts.