NCPCR notifies bore well safety protocols

DIMAPUR — To prevent incidents of small children falling into abandoned bore well or tube wells, the Supreme Court has issued guidelines regarding construction and abandonment of such facilities across the country.

As per the guidelines, made available to the public by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, landowners must inform the concerned authority in writing at least 15 days before taking any steps for constructing a bore well.

‘Registration of all the drilling agencies, be it government or private, should be mandatory, for erection of barbed wire fencing or any other suitable barrier around the well during construction,’ read the guideline updated by DIPR.

‘In case of pump repair, the tube well must be covered and abandoned bore wells should be filled-up by clay/sand/boulder, etc. from bottom to ground level,’ it said, adding that ‘the District Magistrate shall issue order regarding the punishment for violation under Criminal Code of Procedure, 1973’.