Why do we set traps for our own kids?

WARANGAL/KARIMNAGAR/ NALGONDA: The six-hour ordeal of 18-month-old Uppari Tirumalesh at Bingidoddi in Mahbubnagar has once again highlighted the threat posed by abandoned borewells in rural Andhra Pradesh. Though several incidents have prior to Wednesday night’s incident, thousands of open borewells continue to dot the rural landscape, particularly in Telangana.Despite directions from the Supreme Court and the High Court to fill in abandoned borewells and erect safety structures around them, little action has been taken.One of the reasons why disused borewells continue to gape open is that owners believe that one day their dried up borewell will yield some water and repay their investment in sinking it.“But what stops them from keeping a boulder over a dried-up borewell or drop a forked branch of a tree to prevent people from falling into it? The government can do little in these cases as several borewells are dug without permission from revenue officials,” said a senior official in the revenue department on condition of anonymity.As per the Andhra Pradesh Water, Land and Trees Act, it is illegal to drill a borewell without permission from local revenue officials. The Act pins the responsibility of checking and taking action on abandoned borewells on tahsildars. “These officials are not discharging their duties.They respond only when such tragic incidents occur,” alleged P Krishna Reddy, a farmer from Thorrur in Warangal district.While the rescue of Uppari Tirumalesh late Wednesday night was a happy miracle, several previous cases have ended in tragedy. One such case was that of Dharavath Mahesh who fell into an open borewell at Chandru hamlet in Thorrur mandal in Warangal on Jan. 18, 2009. Rescuers fought hard to save him but after 24 hours, they only found his body trapped deep in the ground. Soon after that incident, a circular was issued by the then district collector to tahsildars to close down all abandoned borewells. The work commenced, but no one knows what happened later.Besides the landlords who simply abandon dried up borewells, people are also blamed for the fateful incidents.“Farmers and farm labourers should not bring their children to the fields. If they are forced to bring their children along, they should ensure that abandoned borewells in nearby areas are closed. Further, what stops them to put a boulder over the borewell to prevent such accidents?” questions Ch Srinivas, a teacher from Karimnagar.Though the government has passed orders making it mandatory for land owners to fix the borewell pipes at more than two feet height from the ground apart from erecting a fencing around it, no one follows these rules and government officials turn a blind eye.“But what stops them from keeping a boulder over a dried borewell or drop a forked branch of a tree to prevent people from falling into it?” said an official.