Govt plans to make groundwater a natural resource
In the light of recent studies revealing that almost a third of groundwater aquifers are semi-critical, critical and over-exploited and 60 per cent of the groundwater blocks could turn critical by 2025, the government has come up with plans to change groundwater management rules.
The government aims to pass a framework law under Article 252 of the Constitution and to declare groundwater a natural resource, making groundwater a common-property resource, whereby communities will manage underground aquifers and the government will regulate their use.
The government envisages panchayati raj institutions as public trustee and custodians of the common resource who will help regulate the use of aquifers in their domains.
Although radical as it may seem, the move is a welcome one as the unrestrained depletion of aquifers has led to a public health crisis across the country, besides affecting agriculture to a certain extent.
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Gurgaon residents worried over groundwater depletion
Source: TNN
aquifers, Constitution, Government, Groundwater, groundwater blocks, natural resource, News, panchayati raj
