UP govt brings Ground Water Act-2020 to improve ground water levels

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], Feb 11 (ANI): Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday chaired a state cabinet meeting where the Ground Water Act-2020 meant to improve the falling groundwater level was approved.
Under the act, registration will be mandatory to install submersible pumps. The domestic users and farmers will not have to pay any fee; an online registration facility will also be available. Rainwater harvesting system has also been made mandatory in all private and government schools and colleges.

Talking to the media after the cabinet meeting, state government spokespersons said that in the urban areas, if a landlord installs a submersible pump to build a house larger than 300 sqm area, then it will be necessary to install rainwater harvesting system. For this, a committee of gram panchayat to state level has been formed. With this, if someone pollutes groundwater through boring pipes, then there is a provision of punishment and penalty against him.

It will be mandatory for boring companies to get their registration done. They will have to give all the information every three months. Its purpose is to improve the groundwater level.
The map of government and private buildings will be cleared only when they have a provision to install a rainwater harvesting system.

The cabinet has also made provisions for punishment and fine against those who contaminate the groundwater level.

"If a person is caught for the first time while polluting the groundwater level, then there will be a provision of punishment from 6 months up to 1 year and penalty of Rs 2 lakhs to Rs 5 lakhs. If caught for the second time, there will be a penalty of Rs 5 lakhs to Rs 10 lakhs and a punishment ranging from 2 years to 5 years," the statement by the Uttar Pradesh government read.

It added, "And if a person is caught for the third time, then he will face punishment from 5 years to 7 years and penalty from Rs 10 lakhs to Rs 20 lakhs." (ANI)