Things have gone from bad to worse: NGT on ground water levels

The National Green Tribunal today set up a committee to formulate a plan for preventing illegal and unauthorised use of ground water in the city.
A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar noted that since no charge is levied on those using ground water, it has become an "incentive" for its illegal and unauthorised use giving rise to serious environmental and human problems, including shortage of potable water.
The bench also observed that despite a 2010 notification providing for prohibition as well as permissive use of ground water, "things have gone from bad to worse".
"It is commonly conceded before us that water levels in Delhi have gone down in the recent past by hundreds of feet. It cannot be disputed there are large number of illegal and legal tube wells in Delhi. Also for use of ground water, no consumer is paying any money to the government. This becomes an incentive for illegal and unauthorised use of ground water.

"In the facts and circumstances, we constitute a committee to consider a complete plan to prevent unauthorised and illegal use of ground water as well as its regulation. They shall see that the 2010 notification is the very basis of taking further steps in that regard," the bench said.
It also termed as "imaginative" the Delhi government's figure of 205 denoting the number of identified illegal tube wells here and observed that it has been reported in the news that around 4,57,997 tube wells "continue to leech water" from the ground in the city.
The bench also directed that meters be fixed wherever tube wells are operating, for measuring usage or extraction of ground water and added that the committee will fix the charge that consumers of ground water would be liable to pay.

The bench was hearing a plea for checking illegal extraction of ground water filed by the NGT Bar Association, represented by senior advocate Raj Panjwani.