Madhya Pradesh: Wall-less wells turn tragedy pits in Bundelkhand

BHOPAL: Several people who fell in the well were injured; many precious lives were lost recently in

Ganjbasoda

after the wall of a well collapsed. But there are many such wells in

Bundelkhand

which either have no boundary wall or have weak walls, which are vulnerable to such tragedies District collector,

Chhatarpur

, had ordered to strengthen the walls following an accident when a car fell into a well a few months ago, but nothing was done after that.

As the dry spell continues in the state, a large number of people in Bundelkhand depend on the dug wells for their daily requirement of water, said an official. Despite government claims, the tap water schemes have not

ben

successful in hinterland.

In districts like

Panna

, with 72 % rain deficiency, where all the sources of water have exhausted, a large number of people are turning to wells, which have no boundary walls. Six people had died in a Chhatarpur village when a four-wheeler carrying members of a wedding party fell into an open well in the wee hours on Dec 9 last year.

“There are a large number of such wells in

Chhatarpur district

, many of them belong to local panchayats or happen to be personal wells which need to be fixed,” said an official.