Around 2,000 illegal deep tubewells in Chittagong city are extracting a huge amount of groundwater without generating any revenue for Chittagong Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Wasa).
Their owners have evaded at least Tk 6 crore in licence fees and are annually evading at least Tk 3 crore in licence renewal fees, said Chittagong Wasa's revenue department sources.
Moreover, lack of action against the owners is further prompting others to engage in the illegal practice, said Chittagong Wasa officials.
Mohammed Liaquat Ali, a revenue officer of Chittagong Wasa who works under the deep tubewell department, told The Daily Star recently that a licence from Chittagong Wasa is mandatory.
According to the revenue department, a consumer has to pay Tk 30,000 as licence fee for a domestic deep tubewell of two to three inches diameter.
For a commercial deep tubewell of the same size, the licence fee is Tk 55,000.
Consumers have to pay around Tk 15,000 and Tk 33,000 annually as licence renewal fee for domestic and commercial deep tubewells respectively.
For a deep tubewell having a diameter of over three inches, the licence and renewal fees are two to three times higher.
“Most of the illegal deep tubewells are set up in areas where Chittagong Wasa cannot supply water,” Chittagong Wasa Chief Revenue Officer Khaled Mahmud told The Daily Star.
“We have recently sent notices to around 2,000 illegal deep tubewell owners to apply for licence within March 31 and if they do not comply with the notice we will take stern action from April 1,” he said.