Possible threat to the groundwater aquifers 

1. A Stepping Stone towards Sustainable Development.

• Since India became a member of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in 1972, it has been committed to upholding the principles of the Stockholm Declaration.
• The declaration contains twenty-six principles that serve as a foundation for addressing environmental issues. India, being a developing nation, faces the challenge of achieving “Sustainable Development” not only for environmental protection but also for social and economic development.
• As a significant member of the international community, India has played a pivotal role in setting milestones for environmental conventions since 1972.

2. India’s Commitment to Long-Term Goals 

• India has taken significant steps towards protecting and conserving water resources.
• In 1974, it enacted the Water Protection and Conservation Act, also known as the Water Act, to prevent and control water pollution.
• Since then, India has not only given birth to various environmental acts but has also taken the responsibility to nurture them by framing policies, rules, and regulations.
• Most of the environmental rules have emerged from the Environment Protection Act of 1986.

3. India’s Social Infection: A Chronic Disease That Is Still Becoming Incurable: 

• India has been plagued by two crucial viruses since independence: population explosion and poverty.
• These issues have become chronic diseases that are still becoming incurable.

The revolution that laid down the foundations for industrial setup

• The Industrial Revolution arrived late in India due to its complicated political and economic relationship with Great Britain.
• New colonial laws forced Indian farmers to devote most of their fields to cotton crops instead of food, leading to widespread famine and poverty in India.
• India exports a significant amount of groundwater when it exports raw materials such as cotton and products such as automobiles.
• On average, producing 1kg of cotton in India consumes 22,500 liters of water, according to research done by the Water Footprint Network.
• By exporting more than 7.5 million bales of cotton in 2013, India also exported about 38 billion cubic meters of virtual water.
• This amount of water would more than meet the daily needs of 85% of India’s vast population for a year.
• The higher footprint of water consumption in the cotton industry is due to unsustainable water use and higher rates of water pollution. More than 50% of all pesticides used in the country are in cotton production.

Root Cause of Groundwater Problems 

• India has experienced rapid industrialization over the past decade due to economic and environmental agreements with the European Union and other international communities.
• As a result, many people from rural areas are migrating to urban areas in search of better job opportunities.
• However, those living in hilly states, particularly in the upper and lower Himalayan regions, are still struggling to meet their basic needs.
• Poverty and lack of education are the main reasons for their migration to metro cities.
• The population explosion in the last two decades has had a cascading effect on natural resources, particularly groundwater, which is rapidly depleting in most Indian states.
• Until 2011, the Indian government, which is responsible for enacting laws and policies on environmental issues such as air and water pollution, had been a silent observer of the globally rising issue of groundwater depletion in the South Asian region.

Enactment of Environmental Court “National Green Tribunal”

• The enactment of the National Green Tribunal, an environmental court, was a response to the Central Ground Water Authority’s disavowal of its responsibility to regulate groundwater in India.
• This came after a Public Interest Litigation was filed in court, prompting the authority to acknowledge its functions.
• In late 2012, the Central Ground Water Authority formulated guidelines for evaluating proposals for groundwater abstraction rules due to pressure from Non-Governmental Organizations and the Environmental Tribunal under the Environment Protection Act of 1986.
• Despite water being a State subject, most Indian states have not passed any legislation to regulate the unregulated use of groundwater.
• The rampant withdrawal of groundwater has put pressure upon the CGWA (Central Ground Water Authority) to issue the CGWA guidelines. These guidelines have mandated all the industries that are using groundwater to get the groundwater NOCs. 

Environmental Awareness “The only sustainable solution”

• Environmental awareness is the only sustainable solution to the water crisis that India is facing.
• Unfortunately, there has been a clear lack of attention to water legislation, conservation practices, efficiency in water use, water reuse-recycling, and infrastructure development.
• As a result, the safe zones have been turned into semi-critical, critical, or overexploited areas in the past decade.
• This is due to the absence of any government policy and a lack of social or environmental awareness to conserve groundwater.
• While artificial groundwater recharge can partially replenish the dying groundwater aquifers, it is not a holistic approach to sustainable development and management.
• To address the problem of overexploited aquifers’ storage, efforts must be made from a larger perspective.
• The state government should conduct awareness programs on the regional, city gram panchayat, and mohallas levels to promote appropriate measures to reduce groundwater consumption and recharge the wells.

If you face any difficulties in obtaining the Groundwater NOC, CGWA NOC or any other Environmental compliance, our company, Northern Ridge Geotech, is here to help you. We have a team of experienced professionals who are committed to providing responsive, excellent, competent, and compliant services. We will coordinate with you to fulfill all your Enviro-legal requirements.