Experts said that such illegal groundwater extraction will cause the water table to fall at an alarming rate.
The Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC) has unearthed illegal drinking water plants in Ward 40. (SNS)
The Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC) has unearthed illegal drinking water plants in Ward 40. Such plants have installed bore-wells and submersible pumps to draw groundwater quickly. The owners of the units today failed to furnish documents, including the trade license or permits, for the wells. Civic body officials have asked them to stop the practice.
Amid the scorching heat, they had been drawing water from the ground and selling it in different volumes from 200 ml to one litre in the town. The water was being bottled and stickers of ‘packaged drinking water’ pasted on them. Sources said some units had been running in unhygienic conditions.
Experts said that such illegal groundwater extraction will cause the water table to fall at an alarming rate.
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Siliguri has been facing a crisis of drinking water for the past several years. The town needs around 77 million liter per day (MLD), but it gets only around 52 MLD.
“All the bore-wells had been dug illegally. The owners of the house could not show any documents for digging the wells. We have launched the drive today and it will continue. We have asked house owners to stop the illegal practice and visit the SMC,” said the member of the mayor-incouncil of the drinking water section, SMC, Dulal Dutta.
Officials said that they found three such units in Ward 40- Gital Para and two on ISKCON temple road.
“We found that the owner of an under-construction building had been using water for construction after installation of a borewell. We have warned them to stop it,” they said.
Questions were, however, raised on the role of the state water investigation directorate (SWID), an independent directorate under the state Water Resources, Investigation & Development Department.
“It is true that there has been a communication gap between the SWID and the civic body. The SWID gives such permission after analysing the parameters. But no such mechanism has been in place. Such illegal water units have been mushrooming in different areas,” an official said.
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