The Tamil Nadu Water Resources Department on Wednesday said the existing rules and regulations for groundwater management and extraction would continue, and the public notice issued recently by the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) did not apply to the State.
The CGWA, under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, recently issued a public notice dated April 10, 2022, stating that all groundwater users, including residential apartments using it for drinking and domestic purposes, group housing societies, government water supply agencies in urban areas, bulk water suppliers, industrial, infrastructure and mining projects and swimming pools, must obtain its permission for groundwater withdrawal by June 30, 2022.
All existing users were given a one-time opportunity to register for groundwater withdrawal by paying a registration fee of ₹10,000, and were warned that strict action would be taken against those who continue to withdraw groundwater without a No Objection Certificate from the CGWA.
On Thursday, the Chief Engineer of the Water Resources Department, Tamil Nadu, issued a statement that “the Public Notice no.3/2022, dated.10.04.2022 issued by Chairman, Central Ground Water Authority, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India, is not applicable to the State of Tamil Nadu. The existing Rules and Regulations for Ground Water Management and Extraction in this State will continue until further notice”.
