An 18-year-old girl fell into a borewell in Kanderai village, located in the Kachchh district of Gujarat, on Monday. A rescue operation is currently underway, with teams from the Indian Army, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and Border Security Force (BSF) at the scene.
Arun Sharma, the Tehsildar of Kachchh, spoke to the media agency, confirming that the rescue teams are closely monitoring the girl's movements. He stated that oxygen supplies have been provided to her as part of the ongoing operation.
“The 18-year-old girl fell into a borewell early on Monday morning. The Army, NDRF, and BSF teams are present at the site, and we are closely monitoring her situation. We have provided oxygen and continue to assess her movement. The rescue operation is underway,” Sharma said.
As the rescue efforts continue, authorities are working tirelessly to ensure the girl's safe recovery. Further details are awaited.
In recent days, several similar incidents involving children falling into borewells have occurred.
In a notable case, a toddler fell into a 150-foot-deep borewell in Kiratpur village, Rajasthan. Despite a prolonged rescue operation lasting over nine days, the child’s health deteriorated, and she tragically passed away.
Another tragic incident occurred in Guna district, Madhya Pradesh, in December 2024, when a 10-year-old boy lost his life following a rescue from a borewell.
One of the most widely reported cases was the "Prince Borewell" tragedy in 2006. Six-year-old Prince Kumar Kashyap fell into a 55-foot deep borewell in Kurukshetra, Haryana.
The operation lasted for three days, and although Prince was eventually rescued, the incident sparked national outrage and led to significant legal reforms.
In the wake of these tragedies, the Supreme Court of India issued a set of guidelines in 2009 and 2010 to prevent similar incidents. The court, which took suo motu cognisance of the issue following repeated accidents, mandated the capping of all borewells to prevent them from becoming death traps.
The Supreme Court guidelines included several measures such as the installation of barbed-wire fencing around borewells during construction, the fixing of steel plate covers with bolts over well assemblies, and filling borewells from the bottom to ground level.
The guidelines also called for landowners or construction parties to inform local authorities, including the district collector or the local sarpanch, at least 15 days prior to beginning any borewell or tube well construction.
Furthermore, the registration of all drilling agencies, whether government, semi-government, or private, was made mandatory.
Despite these comprehensive measures, incidents like the one in Gujarat highlight significant enforcement challenges. The recurrence of such accidents raises questions about the implementation of the Supreme Court’s guidelines and the need for better awareness of the regulations.
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