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NGT on groundwater notification
Why is it in news?
- The National Green Tribunal rapped the Union Water Resources Ministry over its notification pertaining to groundwater extraction.
- A Bench said that the notification issued on December 12 was against “national interest”.
What was in notification?
- Industries extracting groundwater and those that use the same for packaged drinking water would need to apply for a no-objection certificate from the government.
- However, the agriculture sector will be exempt from the fees. The Ministry informed the Bench that a Water Conservation Fee has also been introduced in the revised guidelines
Water Conservation Fee
- The WCF payable varies with :
- The category of the area,
- Type of industry
- The quantum of groundwater extraction
- It is designed to progressively increase from over-exploited areas and from low to high water consuming industries as well as with increasing quantum of groundwater extraction
- By stating that merely imposing a cost was not enough to curb groundwater extraction, the green panel has asked other parties, including the petitioners, to put forth their suggestions and objections to the guidelines.
Source
The Hindu