The National
Green Tribunal (NGT) Wednesday led the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) to take action to
stop wastage of water from town. The tribunal noted that some housing colonies
were misusing the Delhi govt scheme of providing 20,000 liters of water free of
cost every month.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) also
noted that some colonies started extracting groundwater by using borewells to
avoid payment of water tariffs even after availing 20,000 liters of water being
supplied free of charge.
"The policy of supplying 20,000
liters of water free per month results in excessive use of water. Delhi Jal
Board (DJB) needs to ensure that treated wastewater is mandatorily utilized
because its release without any use is a colossal waste of public
exchequer," a bench headed by National Green Tribunal (NGT) chairperson
Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel said.
A Delhi Jal Board (DJB) official
stated they haven't received the National Green Tribunal (NGT) order & may
comment or react only after studying the law in detail.
The order came after perusing a report
by monitoring filed committee that said several housing colonies are misusing
Delhi govt's scheme of supplying 20,000 liters of water each month free of cost
to every household in the national capital.
"The extraction of groundwater by
using tubewells & borewells is being done to avoid payment of water. The
Delhi Jal Board (DJB) should take great steps to prevent this practice,"
the panel stated.
This year, the Delhi govt had advised
the Delhi Meeting that approximately 20,000 liters of free water each month was
provided across the federal capital by using almost Rs 400 crore, benefitting
5.3 lakh customers through the water subsidy scheme.
Compared to this committee's finding,
the Delhi govt had said that the scheme also led to a growth in water
conservation because consumers reduced consumption to avail advantage of the
system and contributed to increases in several available water meters.
The committee, which submitted its
report from National Green Tribunal (NGT), is headed by Justice SP Garg
(retired) and comprises representative each in the Delhi Jal Board (DJB),
Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA)
& the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) concerned.
The committee in its report Said as of
June 2019, the number of prohibited borewells in town stood at 17,062.
The panel directed the Delhi Jal Board
(DJB) to prepare an action plan, in consultation with civic bodies or experts,
to make sure that rainwater harvesting systems are installed in all govt
buildings, group housing societies & new buildings where occupancy
certification is not yet been issued.
According to rules, rooftop rainwater
harvesting methods are mandated For every plot measuring over 100 yards. The
panel noted that Overuse of water for irrigation, drinking & domestic
functions has Resulted in its rapid depletion. The water table has fallen to
more than 300 Feet in regions.
Author- Suvigya Jain Singhi is a Charismatic and energetic legal advisor with eight years of career experience in business and legal environments.
Author- Suvigya Jain Singhi is a Charismatic and energetic legal advisor with eight years of career experience in business and legal environments.
