Akola district has banned the digging of new private or commercial wells and borewells within 500 metres of public drinking-water sources after a decline in groundwater levels linked to deficient rainfall. The restrictions, issued by District Collector Varsha Meena under the Disaster Management Act, took effect on 3 October and will remain in force until further orders.
The order applies across Akola’s urban and rural areas and is intended to prevent a drinking-water shortage during the coming summer. It prohibits new well or borewell excavation for private or commercial use within the specified 500-metre radius of public drinking-water sources unless prior permission is obtained from the competent authority.
Anyone undertaking excavation without the required permission may face legal action, and the machinery and other equipment used for the work can be seized. The restrictions place responsibility on local authorities to identify and control new groundwater extraction around sources that serve the public.
The district administration has also prohibited industries and commercial establishments from drawing water from small, medium and large government water projects, as well as from rivers, streams and dams. Water available in these sources has been directed to remain reserved for drinking purposes and for filling tankers.
The order provides for action against individuals, institutions and contractors who violate the restrictions under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and the Maharashtra Groundwater Act, 2009. Pumps, pipelines and borewell drilling machines associated with violations may also be seized under the enforcement provisions.
The decision brings groundwater extraction, surface-water use and tanker supply under a single district-level emergency framework. Its immediate focus is protecting public drinking-water sources, but implementation will depend on coordination between administrative, police and local-government agencies. The order directs sub-divisional officers, tehsildars, block development officers, police authorities, municipalities and municipal corporations to take the required action.
Akola’s restrictions reflect the administrative response to a water-risk cycle that often intensifies before summer: lower rainfall reduces groundwater replenishment, while private, industrial and commercial extraction can increase pressure on sources used for drinking water. By reserving available water for public consumption and tanker filling, the district order prioritises essential supply during the period covered by the restrictions.
The administration has not specified an end date for the measures. They will continue until further orders, with enforcement assigned to the district’s revenue, rural-development, police and urban local-government machinery.
