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| Even after decades, Ground Water Recharging a distant dream in JK | | State Water Policy undermined, demand for grants not made for years together | | Early Times Report
Jammu, May 9: Despite receiving massive central grants to achieve the objectives of ground water recharging by maximizing retention and minimizing loss, as envisaged in the “State Water Policy” the J&K has failed miserably to implement the scheme.
According to the documents in possession of Early Times, irregular grant of 46 RCs to industrial/ infrastructure projects and unauthorized extraction of ground water by 78 users without any RC of the Competent authority in respect of 92 bore/ tube wells led to non-recovery of fee of Rs 128.80 lakh. Non-assessment of water usage charges of 32 users resulted in non-raising of minimum demand of Rs 12.92 crore.
The Jammu and Kashmir State has 3,32,559.23 million hectares metre per annum of available ground water resources, out of which only 22 per cent has been developed so far. Due to less abstraction of ground water, the State is in safe zone and none of the districts is in critical/ over-exploited category. In order to ensure judicious, equitable and sustainable management, allocation and utilisation of water resources, the State Government enacted Jammu and Kashmir Water Resources Regulation and Management (JKWRRM) Act, 2010 which came into force with effect from 25th October 2010. In accordance with section 139 of the above Act, State Government, established in15th October 2012 State Water Resources Regulatory Authority (SWRRA) for discharge of functions assigned under the Act. There is no separate Department in the State, nor a separate cell within the Department to oversee management of ground water; in absence thereof, same is being carried out by Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department. Organisational chart of the PHE Department is depicted in Appendix-3.16.1. The ground water Management in the State is limited to issuance of registration certificate (RC) to industrial/ infrastructure projects involved in extraction and exploitation of groundwater and these functions are carried out through Chief Engineers (CEs), Superintending Engineers (SEs), Executive Engineers (EEs) and Assistant Executive Engineers (AEEs) of PHE Department, within their respective jurisdictional areas.
Records reveal that the PHE divisions having territorial jurisdiction of a total 47 industrial/ infrastructure projects which had obtained ‘No Objection Certificate’ (NOC) from the Department during the period from 2013-14 to 2017-18 and information obtained from the offices of Director Industries Jammu and Kashmir, Deputy Commissioner Distilleries (Excise Department) Jammu, State Pollution Control Board and two Chief Engineers (CEs) PHE Jammu and Kashmir.
It was further revealed that 16154 Industrial/ infrastructure projects holding 25 RCs selected on random sampling basis, for ascertaining the compliance of the conditions specified in the RC/ NOC. Since no RC/ NOC was issued for domestic purposes, scope was limited to commercial extraction of ground water. |
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