BENGALURU: Residences and commercial establishments that are yet to register their old borewells with the Karnataka Ground Water Authority or the Central Groundwater Authority (CGWA) need to do so at the earliest by paying a penalty of Rs 1 lakh for the delay, says a public notice issued by the CGWA. In case of failure to do so by March 31, 2022, such borewell owners must pay an additional environmental compensation charge too.
The notice issued on September 6 reiterates that the No Objection Certificate (NOC) from one of the agencies is mandatory before drawing water from borewells. “Residential apartments, Group Housing Societies, government water supply agencies in urban areas and Industrial, Infrastructure and Mining projects and Swimming Pools whether existing or new drawing or proposing to draw groundwater are required to obtain NOC as per the guidelines,” it said.
T Rajendiran, retired scientist from CGWA told TNIE, “The new notice by CGWA is a reminder to all to go in for registration of their borewells. This is in line with the National Green Tribunal guidelines. The penalty does not apply to those who have drilled new borewells. The new ones need to be registered by paying a fee of Rs 500 and getting a NOC.”
The groundwater abstraction and restoration charges of Rs one lakh were announced from September 24, 2020 itself, he added. “However, due to the pandemic situation, they were not being implemented strictly. This is a cautionary reminder by the CGWA,” he said.
The notice stressed, “All project proponents withdrawing ground water but who fail to apply for NOC by March 31, 2022 are liable to face legal action and pay environmental compensation for illegal withdrawal of groundwater.” However, the notice did not elaborate on this compensation amount. Karnataka has nearly 30,000 borewells with nearly 20,000 of them used by industries, Rajendiran said. “Despite repeated reminders, most borewell users do not register them and this is another attempt by the Authority to streamline them, he added.