Water conservation fee likely on residential complexes\, industry

NEW DELHI: Amid growing concerns over excessive exploitation of groundwater, the Union environment ministry has endorsed suggestions on levying 'water conservation fee' on industries and infrastructure projects, including residential and commercial complexes, and brought agriculture sector for the first time into ambit of regulations for groundwater use in the country.


The ministry has submitted its report, comprising 45-point decadal action plans for next 50 years and several short-term suggestions, to the National Green Tribunal which may next month take its call on larger issues of groundwater conservation and regulation while hearing a petition. The ministry submitted the report on the NGT's direction. Once the NGT takes its final call, Central Ground Water Board will come out with a quantum of fee.

Once the NGT takes its final call on the environment ministry's report, Central Ground Water Board will come out with a quantum and mechanism on levying such fee and even consider the concept of 'water credit' - credit earned by user agencies from water conservation measures.

The ministry's report, submitted to the NGT on July 18, said the money deposited as 'water conservation fees' may be used for groundwater recharging projects as identified by the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) or state government. The fees may be deposited in central depository account and maintained by the Centre for releasing to the states, it added. The ministry, however, made it clear that the extraction of groundwater in the over-exploited blocks would be considered "only for drinking water purposes and only for important social infrastructure activities" (such as hospitals and schools) with suitable restrictions.

Besides industries and infrastructure projects, mining agencies and packaged drinking water plants will also come under the ambit of conservation fees.

Though CGWB had earlier come out with the concept of such a fee in its draft guidelines in December last year, the NGT had in January directed the ministry to get the draft examined by an expert committee comprising representatives from IIT Delhi, IIT Roorkee, IIM Ahmedabad, CPCB, Niti Aayog and other agencies.

“We have submitted the report, endorsing certain points of the earlier draft and extending suggestion on other new areas, including the one on agriculture sector,” said an official.