Take strict action against commercial exploitation of groundwater in Mumbai, demand activists | Mumbai News – Times of India

MUMBAI: Amid depleting groundwater levels due to rising concretization and its illegal extraction in Mumbai, activists have expressed their anguish and displeasure as to why the district collectors were not taking disciplinary action against water tankers when BMC’s insecticide department was issuing health licenses to them in the absence of mandatory NoC from the Central Groundwater Authority (CGWA).
It may be mentioned here that the CGWA has delegated powers to district/divisional magistrates and collectors to monitor compliances, check violations, and seal illegal wells and launch prosecution besides grievances redressal and seizure actions.
Activist Sureshkumar Dhoka said due to heavy concretization, groundwater percolation has gone down in Mumbai to such an extent that the saline water has started gushing in the empty aquifers. This may lead to vegetation in and around the city vanishing in the absence of pure groundwater. Over extraction of groundwater and illegal commercial sale has led to groundwater stock depleting in a big way in Mumbai, he pointed out.
The city had 14,030 wells in 2013 and the count has now increased to 18,381. Of these, nearly 40 wells are shut while 190 are unused. Similarly, 186 more wells have permission to use water for non-potable purposes but not for transport and commercial sale. However, 35 of these continue to illegally sell water, civic officials had revealed to an RTI query by Dhoka. Moreover, nearly 216 wells are illegal and are being exploited by private tankers, he said.
Abhay Parab, a lawyer and activist, said the Azad maidan police have already clarified that any police station in whose jurisdiction well water or groundwater is being commercialized by illegally extracting and selling it without the groundwater board’s permission, a case can be registered upon complaint against the well owner indulging in any such act. Interestingly, Dhoka has lodged complaints against many well owners in Mumbai region, alleging illegal groundwater extraction for commercial gain.
“Despite hundreds of pending complaints against those indulging in illegal groundwater extraction and its commercial exploitation in the city, the authorities meant to take stringent actions against them have their hands tied as they are still to be empowered. Except for a few industrial units in the state, none of the well owners have applied for the mandatory no-objection certificate (NOC) from the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA),” said Parab.
When BMC’s insecticide branch does not have powers to take actions against those indulging in illegal extraction of groundwater for commercial exploitation by selling it through tankers and state and its authority — Maharashtra Water Resources Regulatory Authority (MWRRA) — does not have rules notified, Dhoka said it is collectors who can still take actions based on the guidelines enacted by the central groundwater authority.
Despite requesting the CGWA and the ministry to take action against collectors for not obeying CGWA guidelines as well as their directives which amount to violation of Supreme Court orders, there is no action yet, Dhoka pointed out. There are at least 251 well owners involved in groundwater thefts and thousands of commercial and industrial establishments that are commercially exploiting well water in the absence of NOCs from CGWA. Parab said the identified illegal extraction cases are just the tip of an iceberg as lakhs are yet to be unearthed.