Groundwater glare on private tankers

NEW DELHI: If the Delhi Jal Board supply fails you this summer, private water tankers may not be able to bail you out. Alarmed at the rate at which groundwater levels are plummeting in the city, the lieutenant governor has ordered that strict action be taken against anyone found withdrawing groundwater illegally. This will especially apply to those extracting water for commercial purposes.

"None of the private tanker operators are licensed to sell water. Most of them are active in the south and southwest regions where the demand is the highest and the groundwater levels are the lowest. The LG has asked police to take action against anyone found withdrawing water illegally, especially private tanker owners," said a government official.

The environment department is now planning to map borewells in the city. It has asked the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), DJB and NDMC to supply it with a list of permissions granted for digging borewells, including clearances issued for rainwater harvesting as borewells are required to be dug for these as well.

"Once we have the list, we will map all the borewells using GPS. The list will also be put up on our website. So far, each agency has maintained their own lists but there is no consolidated information available," said Sanjiv Kumar, secretary, environment.

The environment department is also looking at metering the groundwater extraction by commercial establishments like industries and hotels. "So far, there is no provision to charge for groundwater extraction. There is also a fear that the borewells for rainwater harvesting might be used for extraction. To prevent this, we will probably stop issuing permissions for deep borewells and are looking at technology like non-return valves so that no extraction is possible from these borewells," said Kumar.

Before 2010, CGWB was responsible for giving permissions for borewells. Delhi government passed a notification in 2010 making it necessary to get permission for groundwater extraction across the city. DJB and NDMC were made responsible for clearing all rainwater harvesting projects. Since then, the two agencies have given permission to around 10,000 borewells across Delhi.

The department is also considering a one-time amnesty for borewell owners who are not registered with the government. "We will give a limited time to individuals to register their borewells with us. And if one is found operating without permission after that, strict action will be taken against the owner," said Kumar.

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