The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has constituted a high-level expert committee to tackle India's escalating groundwater depletion crisis, highlighting serious enforcement failures and widespread over-extraction across states and Union territories.
Severe Stress in Key Regions
The bench, comprising Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava and expert members A Senthil Vel and Afroz Ahmad, noted that several regions, particularly the Indo-Gangetic basin and northwest India, including Delhi, are under severe stress. The tribunal relied on extensive data from the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA), which revealed systemic regulatory and monitoring failures.
The NGT was hearing a suo motu case based on a report warning of critically low groundwater levels by 2025. The data indicated large-scale over-exploitation of groundwater, weak enforcement of extraction norms, and poor implementation of environmental compensation mechanisms designed to penalize illegal water extraction.
Inconsistent Penalties and Compliance
In many states, thousands of illegal borewells were identified, yet penalties and corrective measures remain inconsistent. The tribunal observed that despite guidelines issued by the Ministry of Jal Shakti in 2020, compliance on the ground has been inadequate. Several states have either failed to effectively regulate groundwater extraction or have not imposed environmental compensation for violations. The tribunal stated that “much action is warranted” by states and their authorities to curb illegal extraction and ensure groundwater recharge.
Composition and Task of the Expert Committee
The NGT has now formed an expert committee that will serve as the nodal agency for ensuring effective compliance with guidelines, remediating over-extraction, and promoting groundwater rejuvenation. The committee includes representatives from the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI), Geological Survey of India (GSI), Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), experts from IIT Roorkee, and a CGWA representative, as per the order dated April 23, which was made public on Monday.
The committee is tasked with suggesting strategies for groundwater recharge in critically affected areas and providing both general and state-specific policy recommendations. It has been directed to submit its report within three months. The matter will be heard again on August 25, when the tribunal will review the committee's findings and consider further directions.
