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The state government has submitted a report to the Uttar Pradesh Human Rights Commission (UPHRC) regarding the status of open borewells across the state.

However, only Mahoba district’s report carries complete details of the status of borewells.

Namami Gange and rural water supply department of the state government has also submitted a report to the UPHRC regarding the steps taken to check open borewells. This department is part of the state water and sanitation mission.

Durga Shaker Mishra, chief secretary of the state government, submitted the report to the UPHRC last week.

According to the report submitted the district magistrate of Mahoba, 8223 wells are in use in the district. All 445 borewells/ tubewells that were left abandoned have been covered, said the report submitted by the district magistrate, Mahoba.

“The government should ensure permanent stationing of state disaster response force or national disaster response force in regions where deep drilling is required due to low level of water such as in Bundelkhand region,” said principal secretary, Namami Gange and rural water supply department in its report to UPHRC.

“So that in case of any mishap where small children fall into borewells and tubewells, prompt and immediate assistance is available to save lives,” the report added.

To recall, four-year old boy Ghanendra fell into an open borewell in village Budhaura under tehsil Kulpahad, Mahoba district on December 3, 2020. Doctors had declared the boy dead when he was rushed to the hospital after being rescued the next day.

To rescue the boy, a state disaster relief force (SDRF) was rushed to Mahoba from Lucknow. The team reached the spot after 11 hours of the incident.

For this delay, the DM has cited heavy traffic movement throughout the Lucknow-Mahoba route.

In a petition to the UPHRC, the petitioner, Sarvebhyo Foundation, pointed out that the SDRF or the NDRF should have been airlifted from Lucknow to Mahoba to save precious time to rescue the child.

The Foundation has also suggested permanent centres of the SDRF in Bundelkhand region for quick response in case of any such mishap.

Justice Balkrishna Narayana, chairman of UPHRC, had issued notice to the state government on a petition filed by an NGO, Sarvebhyo Foundation, after the incident.

“The report submitted by the state government is incomplete. It does not answer the basic question related with maintaining of database of all kinds of borewells - new, abandoned, open and closed,” said Alok Singh, director, Sarvebhyo Foundation.

“The UPHRC has directed me to file my reply on the report submitted by the state government,” said Singh.

The Sarvebhyo Foundation, which works for social issues, had petitioned the UPHRC in December 2020 to enforce guidelines of the Supreme Court related with open borewells in Mahoba district and rest of the state.

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