Ensure Free Water Scheme is not Misused: Green court to DJB

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.