NGT forms panel to remediate over-extraction of groundwater, flags non-implementation of norms

The National Green Tribunal has formed a panel to remediate the problem of over-extraction of groundwater across the country, while observing that the existing guidelines to prevent its depletion had not been effectively implemented. The green body was hearing a matter regarding some areas in the Indo-Gangetic basin already crossing the groundwater depletion tipping point, and the entire north-western region being predicted to experience critically low groundwater availability by 2025. In an order dated April 23, a bench of NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava and expert members A Sethil Vel and Afroz Ahmad said that the Central Ground Authority of India (CGWA) had submitted a compilation summarising the information provided by states and Union Territories (UTs) regarding the critical environmental issue. The bench said, ''The summarised information discloses that there is a lapse on the part of the states/UTs and their authorities in taking adequate steps to prevent the illegal drawl of groundwater and to ensure recharge of the groundwater level where it has gone below the critical point.'' It noted that on January 30, the tribunal had sought specific answers from the CGWA, including details of over-exploited or groundwater-stressed areas, district-wise, in each state/UT, criteria for permitting developmental activities or infrastructure facilities in such stressed areas and the quantity that is permissible for drawal by each of such units to be located in these areas. The criteria prescribed for issuing permission for such drawal in over-exploited areas, state/UT-wise details of illegally operated groundwater drawal structures, action taken and environmental compensation collected till March, 2025, besides the monitoring and enforcement agency in each state/UT, the bench noted, were also among the queries posed by the NGT. Noting the CGWA's response, the tribunal said, ''The report filed by the CGWA reflects that much action is warranted at the end of the states/UTs and their authorities to take adequate steps for the prevention of illegal extraction of groundwater and for its recharge.'' It said that the Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS) on September 24, 2020, issued a notification regarding the guidelines to regulate and control groundwater extraction in the country, including the method of imposing environmental compensation. ''But the information disclosed by the States/UTs reveals that no effective steps have been taken for levying of the environmental compensation against the illegal drawl of ground water.'' ''The Standard Operating Procedure (SoP) for implementation of MoJS guidelines and amendment thereto issued by CGWA in May 2023 have also come on record, but it appears that at the ground level, these guidelines have not been effectively implemented,'' the tribunal said. It said that in such circumstances, the NGT had to ensure the effective compliance of the guidelines and, besides, it had to remediate the problem of over-extraction and ensure its rejuvenation. ''We deem it proper to form a committee comprising the representatives of National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI), Geological Survey of India (GSI), (Union) Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), an expert from IIT, Roorkee and a representative of CGWA (also the nodal agency),'' the tribunal said. It directed the panel to examine and take into account the tabulated information, summarising the reports of the states/UTs, besides ascertaining the lapses on their part of in effectively implementing the guidelines. ''The committee will comprehensively consider all the relevant material and make recommendations for the prevention of over-extraction of groundwater, especially in the critically scarce areas, and it will make recommendations for recharge of the groundwater in the areas which are critically endangered,'' the tribunal said. It said the committee would make general and state-specific recommendations on the issue and that the panel had to complete the exercise within three months. The matter has been listed on August 25 for further proceedings.