NGT directs Puducherry govt. to implement safeguards for ₹534 crore borewell project to protect groundwater

The southern bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Puducherry government to implement necessary safeguards to protect groundwater resources, in the wake of concerns raised over the ₹534 crore borewell project.

The southern bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Puducherry government to implement necessary safeguards to protect groundwater resources, in the wake of concerns raised over the ₹534 crore borewell project aimed at augmenting water supply in the region. 

The project, which is funded by the Agence Française de Développement, involves installing deep borewells in several villages to improve drinking water access. However, local farmers and environmental experts have voiced apprehensions that the extensive use of borewells could severely deplete the region’s groundwater levels, affecting agricultural activities and drinking water availability for rural communities.

Delivering the verdict in an application filed by Shanmugam, a resident of Villupuram, on Thursday (February 13, 2025), the bench comprising Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana and expert member Satyagopal Korlapati has urged the government to conduct comprehensive groundwater assessments before proceeding further with the project.

The bench noted that while the project was crucial for improving the water supply to Puducherry’s urban areas, particularly in response to seawater intrusion into local aquifers, it could exacerbate the existing groundwater crisis in the region. The groundwater levels in surrounding areas have already been categorised as “semi-critical” or “dark blocks” by the Water Resources Department due to high extraction levels, indicating a vulnerable state of the water table.

Despite assurances from the Puducherry government that it has adopted precautionary measures, such as constructing recharge structures, the bench said that these efforts may not be sufficient to prevent environmental damage in the long term. 

The bench specifically recommended conducting detailed hydrogeological studies, installing real-time monitoring systems to track groundwater levels, and implementing more robust recharge measures.

In its ruling, the bench directed the Puducherry authorities to ensure that the project’s potential environmental impacts are thoroughly assessed and addressed before any further expansion of the borewell installations, to safeguard both public water needs and the long-term health of the region’s groundwater resources.