Over 61 Housing Societies in Ghaziabad have been issued Notices for Illegal Gorundwater Extraction

                Ghaziabad: The groundwater department 
(GWD) has issued notices to over 61 
residential societies for unauthorised 
borewells and asked them to provide a 
comprehensive status 
report within 30 days.
According to Srishti Jaiswal, assistant 
geophysicist at the groundwater department, a 
complainant wrote a letter to the director, 
alleging that around 76 societies in the city are 
extracting groundwater illegally without any 
NOCs.
"The letter was forwarded to us, upon which 
we initiated our investigation and found 
operating borewells in 61 societies," Jaiswal 
said, adding that none of the societies had 
obtained 
the necessary NOCs for operating borewells.
The list of societies that received notices 
includes Shipra Suncity, Windsor Nova, Krishna 
Apara Garden, Shipra Srishti, ATS Advantage, 
and Gaur Projects, among others.

"We have no further information about these 
societies on who installed these borewells and 
how long they were using them, as none of 
them got NOCs from us. Most people do not 
have this information that they have to get 
NOCs from the state now and not from the 
central body, which changed in 2021," Jaiswal 
said.
Jaiswal added that some of the societies' 
RWAs have informally communicated with the 
department after the notices were issued to 
them, citing their reasons for using borewells, 
including when Ganga water is disrupted for 2 
months every year for cleaning purposes. 
RWAs said that, in these two months, they 
don't get any water supply from the concerned 
authorities.

Several prominent societies in the city have 
been issued notices, including societies in 
Indirapuram, Raj Nagar Extension, Sidharth 
Vihar, and more.
In Raj Nagar Extension, residents claimed that 
they don't have a choice but to use borewells 
as it's their only source of water.
"Whenever we ask GDA for the water supply, 
they say they just sold this land to the builders 
and now they have to take care of all the basic 
necessities. Meanwhile, GMC says they 
have not got the handover of this township yet. 
There is also no Ganga water supply. The point 
is not about taking NOCs but about the 
groundwater, which is depleting very fast in our 
area because of the increasing pollution and 
buildings," said Deepanshu Mittal, a resident of 
Raj Nagar Extension township.
While Ganga water supply is available in the 
Indirapuram area, several societies still have 
borewells, claiming that supplied water is 
insufficient.
"If any society has Ganga water supply in the 
society and still asks for NOC for borewell use, 
then we need to get a denial letter from the 
concerned authority that they are supplying 
insufficient water and partial water to the 
society. Only after then can an NOC be given to 
the society," said Ankita Rai, hydrologist, 
groundwater department.
Groundwater levels have been depleting rapidly 
in Ghaziabad. As per the department's latest 
report, pre- and post-monsoon decline was 
around 7 meters in the district.


Source : Times of India