Newsletter No. 65;
IRBMS
extraction i.e 25 b.c.m is for drinking, domestic Besides regulating and streamlining the use of
and industrial uses (industrial use is about 5% of groundwater reserves in the state where a large
the The area is covered in Basalt, which makes it more
guidelines also encourage the use of recycled and difficult for rainwater to permeate through it. A
treated sewage water. strict cap will be imposed on how deep a well can
annual
ground
water
extraction)
be dug anywhere in Maharashtra. While GSDA
Maharashtra Govt. Proposes Groundwater monitors depths of wells in rural areas, the
Act as Groundwater Levels Falls proposed Act plans to cap the depth at 60 M for all
kinds of wells. As per the Act, permission will be
In July, 2018 Maharastra became the first state in given primarily for wells dug for drinking water
India to propose a regulatory Act to monitor the purposes, thus shifting the focus from those used
use of ground water as well as introduce efficient for irrigation purposes. Special fees will be charged
methods to preserve it. The first-of-its-kind for any drilling activities, which will have to be
regulatory Act has been drafted by hydrologists paid to the State Groundwater Authority. Farmers
and geologists at the Groundwater Survey and will not be able to cultivate water-intensive crops if
Development Agency (GSDA). The proposed act their region, in that particular point of time, does
mainly preserving not have sufficient groundwater reserves. The Act
groundwater quality of all existing water storage in also plans to provide farmers with real-time status
the state. The Act will bring in stringent norms on the groundwater levels available.
aims
at
protecting
and
against the misuse of groundwater, and includes
chemical While this move may seem feasible in theory, the
factories, sugar factories, paper mills, agro- groundwater recharge and discharge rates vary
processing units, livestock and poultry farms that vastly every year region to region, and taking
are found guilty of releasing or causing pollution to decisions on the basis of estimated groundwater
water sources, including groundwater reserves in levels may not be easy for farmers. Other
the state. The Act also makes it compulsory for all stakeholders, such as the ministries of agriculture,
well owners to register their wells with the district water resources and finance, as well as bodies like
authority concerned. They will also need to the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board, need to
undertake the responsibility of operating and ratify the proposals.
provisions
to
penalize
industries,
maintaining the well. In case multiple ownership
of a well, separate registration will be required.
5
Integrated River Basin Management Society