June,4,2016:
Govt. decides,‘Groundwater will no more be a Free Resource to Citizens’
Government has for the first time expounded that citizens have a right to safe water and also has laid out stringent rules on how the corporations and other large entities can extract groundwater in two pieces of draft legislation which has been uploaded on the website of Union Water Ministry.
The Bills also propose fines which are ranging from Rs.5,000 - Rs. 5,00,000 which depends upon the level of infraction and also who the perpetrators are.
Groundwater will also not be a free resource and those who can pay for it ought to be doing so while ensuring that it was equitably available to all. But the Bill doesn’t lay down a detail a mechanism but lays down only broad principles.
However, the earlier governments have also tried to enact legislation in relation to preservation of groundwater, a fragile resource. But these did not take into account 73rd and 74th amendments of Constitution vesting powers to panchayats and also municipalities in relation to the management of water which includes groundwater but States rarely adopted but States rarely adopted it.
More power to panchayats
The draft bills i.e National Water Framework Bill and Model Bill for the Conservation, Protection, Regulation, Management of Groundwater would be open for public comment until end of this month, aim to decentralise water management and it will give more power to panchayat and also gram sabhas to decide on how water can be better used.
Funds for river clean-up
The government has announced extensive budget outlays for clean up of the rivers like Ganga as well as embark upon interlinking of rivers to improve storage capabilities. But the present legislation however doesn’t attempt to decide whether the States or Centre ought to have the final say in developing or conserving water bodies.
The Bills also enunciates top priority for the use of groundwater in meeting drinking, sanitation, sustenance agriculture etc.
There will also be incentive for the people who cultivate crops which are less water intensive. It also provides for setting up of groundwater security board and also groundwater protection zone which would be overseen by State bodies.
Read the Draft Bill Here-
Draft National Water Framework Bill, 2016
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