The Groundwater Act 2020 was implemented to improve the status of the rapidly declining groundwater level. The government has made this a top priority because water is the source of life and you need water to live a healthy life. And to save the most important component of life, the state government of Uttar Pradesh has taken the initiative to measure water consumption. Under the same law, rainwater harvesting is also encouraged. Most importantly, the law will also take action to stop water pollution. In addition to farmers and local residents, there are also annoying businesses that also fall under the law and need to register the company name. This will help reduce illegal submersible installation and water waste. Jassal said he had presented photographic evidence that new submersible pumps had been installed in the city`s four zones (A, B, C and D), with maximum violations in areas falling into zone C (20 pumps). “However, regulators seem to continue to sit on my complaints and violators have a free hand, causing irreparable damage to the water table,” he said. Although the Municipal Corporation (MC) has formed a committee to control the installation of unauthorized submersible pumps, the installation of such new pumps is common in various parts of the city. To stem the continuing decline in groundwater levels, the Uttar Pradesh government, led by Yogi Adityanath, introduced the Groundwater Act 2020. The main reason for the implementation of the law is to raise awareness against the decline in groundwater levels. Under the law, the UP government issued a warrant to register the submersible pump.
Since registration requires money and not all persons in the state are able to pay the registration fee; The government has therefore decided to make registration free for some people. Households and farmers do not have to pay registration fees. One can register the pump by visiting the official website launched by the government. Jassal said some subordinate officials dared to pressure those who denounced such egregious violations to withdraw their complaints, and there were also cases where senior officials approved the installation of new submersible pumps by circumventing the rules and instructions of the CGWB and county authorities. To halt the decline in groundwater levels in Uttar Pradesh, the State Cabinet on Tuesday approved the Groundwater Bill 2020, which makes registration mandatory for the installation of submersible pumps. The firm also mandated the installation of a rainwater harvesting system for all public and private school and college buildings. Singh said that in urban areas, if you install a submersible pump to build a house on a plot of more than 300 square meters, it will be necessary to install a rainwater harvesting system. “In urban areas, if a person with a submersible pump builds a house of more than 300 square meters, the installation of a rainwater harvesting system is mandatory.
To this end, committees have been formed from the Gram Panchayat level to the state level. Companies involved in drilling (of diving tubes) must also register and provide all information to the government every three months. The reason for the new system is to improve groundwater levels. Maps of public and private buildings are only shared if a rainwater harvesting system is in place. A one-year deadline has been granted for registration,” minister and government spokesman Sidharth Nath Singh said after the meeting. Based on the 2012-13 assessment, there are 172 black areas in UP, comprising 113 overworked development blocks and 59 critical blocks, while another 45 out of a total of about 850 blocks have been classified as semi-critical. Dark areas are areas where more groundwater is pumped than charged. (Source: www.varunapumps.com/submersible_pumps.htm) The law will also require all users, including households and agriculture, to apply for prior registration of their submersible pumps, tube wells, etc. A submersible pump installed at a construction site in Ludhiana in violation of prohibition orders. The installation of unauthorized submersible pumps is common in different parts of Ludhiana. File photo Superintendent MC Rajinder Singh said: “The installation of new submersible pumps is prohibited in the city. If the water supply is not available in any area, a permit is required to install a submersible pump.
We are already taking action against unauthorized submersible pumps. The role of the Municipal Corporation`s Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Division, which is responsible for providing and maintaining the city`s water supply and sanitation system, has been overshadowed by reports that, despite a blanket ban by the Central Ground Water Board, the National Green Tribune (NGT) and district authorities (under CrPC 144) in installing new submersible pumps, These appeared throughout the city. He demanded that the responsibility of MC staff and its inspectors to authorize the installation of submersible pumps in the city be established and that strict measures be taken in accordance with the law against all violations in this regard. In view of the drop in groundwater levels, a committee was formed by citizens in February this year to control the unauthorized installation of submersible pumps. Questions are being raised about the role of officials involved in turning a blind eye to illegal submersible pumps. The Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday approved draft new guidelines to make registration of submersible pumps mandatory to improve groundwater sinking levels in the state. A resident of the Dholewal area, Gajjan Singh Jassal, said: “I have lodged complaints several times, but the civil authorities have not taken any concrete action to stop the unauthorized installation of submersible pumps in the town. This illegal practice is widespread. In two cases, only action was taken recently when I complained to senior officials of the Ludhiana Management Committee. According to the guidelines, no new submersible pumps can be installed in areas where water supply is available. The MC should conduct an investigation in all parts of the city and take action to stop such violations, since groundwater levels are already depleted.
There is also no awareness created by the MC against the installation of new submersible pumps in areas where water supply is available. Due to persistent water supply problems, I decided to have a submersible installed for my household. At first, I had no idea about submersibles. My intentions to get a submersible are as follows: – Regarding the urban area, the law issued a mandate that if a person installs a submersible, he must also build a rainwater harvesting system. To monitor the activity, a committee for rural and urban areas will be formed to save the natural water level. There will also be a penalty if intentional water pollution is caused. According to the proposed guidelines, registration for the installation of submersible pumps will be mandatory, Jal Shakti Minister Mahendra Singh told reporters, adding that domestic users and farmers will not have to pay fees. According to the proposal, which is awaiting cabinet approval, all consumers must obtain registration with the competent authority for groundwater catchment equipment such as wells, submersible pumps, pumps, etc. However, the bill does not aim to penalize private and agricultural users, apparently for fear of a political backlash. A resident of the city, Professor Jaipal Singh (retired), said: “The MC should ensure the supply of drinking water in all parts of the city. Care should be taken to ensure that no submersible pumps are installed in areas where drinking water supplies are available.
In areas where water supply is not available, residents are forced to install pumps themselves. It is the responsibility of civil society to provide them with safe drinking water. In two similar complaints to the NGT and the Punjab State Human Rights Commission, a city-based social activist, Gajjan Singh Jassal, claimed that at least 25 submersible pumps had been sunk in areas of the city and that repeated complaints had been filed with field staff and O&M regulators resulted in no action. However, there is no charge for domestic and agricultural use of submersible pumps and an electronic recording system is provided. (This article has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.) UP Submersible Pumps Online Registration 2020 (Groundwater Act) Currently, only a dozen states have enacted such a law in light of the model law that the center has issued. First-time offenders receive a sentence ranging from six months to one year, as well as a financial penalty of Rs 2-5 lakh. Repeat offenders are sentenced to 2-5 years in prison with a penalty of Rs 2-5 lakh. Similarly, the third offender is sentenced to 5 to 7 years in prison and 10 to 20 lakh.