Groundwater law may cover commercial users

The term ‘commercial users’ refers to industrial units and those engaged in the transportation of groundwater

The proposed law on groundwater development and management, being fine-tuned by the State Government, essentially seeks to cover every commercial user of groundwater in the State.

The term “commercial user”, though not explicitly defined in the draft legislation, being debated among departments of the Government, however, refers to industrial units, regardless of their size, and those engaged in the transportation of groundwater. Among the construction and infrastructure projects that may be covered are resorts, theme parks, hotels, educational institutions, marriage halls, malls, farmhouses and residential buildings with over six dwelling units.

Among the purposes exempted from the purview of the legislation are agriculture, horticulture and domestic consumption. In the case of domestic consumption, wells or structures using pump sets of not more than 3 horse-power capacity will not come under the coverage of the proposed law.