Gujarat: Private suppliers ‘rob’ ground of water

By:
Meghdoot Sharon
AHMEDABAD: Thousands of litres of ground water is drawn out and sold on a daily basis in several cities and towns of Gujarat. What’s worse, the authorities – both at the local level and the state level – have no clue how much of this precious natural resource is being drawn out of the ground and by how many persons.
That is because neither the state government, nor civic bodies have any law or regulation in place to keep a tab on the amount of water that is being drawn out and sold.

An internet search for water tanker suppliers in Gujarat throws up dozens of results. Rates vary between Rs 300 and Rs 2,400 depending on the size of tanker and availability.
What these suppliers essentially do is dig borewells and draw groundwater at will, selling it to people in need.
The state government admits that as of now, there is no regulation whatsoever to prevent or even monitor this rampant commercial sale of water.
“As of now, there is no regulation. People are drawing ground water for different purposes. There are several issues involved, including people drawing for domestic use, commercial use and agricultural activities. The state government is looking closely at all these issues and will announce a comprehensive water policy soon,” said J P Gupta, principal secretary, water supply.
Most tanker suppliers across the state have hiked their rates, as the demand for water has increased substantially in the summer months. Private water suppliers say the rates have increased by about 10% over the past one month.