Overview Regarding the CGWA-Water Boring

The government of India established CGWA (Central Ground Water Authority) under Section 3(3) of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 (EPA) in fulfilment of the order given by the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India for regulating and controlling the groundwater management and development. It is a statutory body that grants a No objection certificate for water boring set up by industries in India. Along with this, CGWA (Central Ground Water Authority) also has the following power: -

1. Power to appoint officers mandated by Section 4 of the Environmental (Protection) Act, 1986.
2. It also has the power to recourse to provide penal punishment as stipulated by Sections 15 and 21 of EPA.
3. Implement the powers conferred under Section 5 of the Environmental (Protection) Act, 1986 regarding the regulations mentioned in the sub-clauses of section 3 of the Act.

Regulatory Measures

• The Central Ground Water Authority regulates the removal of groundwater by Industries/projects. The State Pollution Control Board and the ministry of environment, Forest and climate change are provided with the list of the areas where they have to refer the industries/projects from those areas to CGWA for their approval and NOC.
• In some of the notified areas, the construction of new groundwater is prohibited. In the case of drilling tube wells, the permission is only granted by the government authorities, which are in charge of managing the drinking water supply.
• The Central Ground Water Authority has declared 162 overexploited/critical areas in the sections of NCT Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, UT of Diu and UT of Puducherry.

Eligibility for setting up a CGWA- Water Boring for the Industry:-

The Central Ground Water Authority grants the authorisation for CGWA-Water Boring if the following conditions are met:-

1. The information on whether the applicant was establishing a new plant or digging up Water for the existing plant and your location
2. The applicant must belong to Three industrial segments, which are Infrastructure and mining
3. The water utilised should be Fresh or Saline Water.

Documents required for CGWA-Water Boring

The NOC required for setting up CGWA-Water Boring are: -

• Industrial Water boring NOC
• Mining Water Boring NOC
• Infrastructure Water Boring NOC

List of Documents required for CGWA/CGWB NOC for Infrastructure Water Boring

• Consent to establish granted by the concerned State Pollution Control Board the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 and under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974;
• Consent to operate was granted by the concerned State Pollution Control Board under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 and the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974
• Site plan or map of the location
• The flow chart of water requirements and recycled water usage at every stage (Only for groundwater withdrawal). This information should be shown in tabular format.
• Self-declaration should be given regarding the certificate of water availability or non-availability from the government water supplying body.
• Water requirement assessments according to CPHEEO guidelines include recycling and reusing treated water.
• Letter of Authorization from concerned authority
• Quality report from the governmental-approved lab on all exiting tube wells.
• In case of establishment takes groundwater at 500 m3/day, a detailed report on groundwater conditions around 5 km of the region is necessary.

List of Documents required for CGWA/CGWB NOC for Industrial Water Boring NOC

• Consent to establish granted by the concerned State Pollution Control Board the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 and under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974;
• Consent to operate was granted by the concerned State Pollution Control Board under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 and the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974
• Site plan or map of the location
• The flow chart of water requirements and recycled water usage at every stage (Only for groundwater withdrawal). This information should be shown in tabular format.
• In case of establishment takes groundwater at 500 m3/day, a detailed report on groundwater conditions around 5 km of the region is necessary.
• Water requirement assessments according to CPHEEO guidelines include recycling and reusing treated water.
• Letter of Authorization from concerned authority
• Quality report from the governmental-approved lab on all exiting tube wells.
• Proposal for the rainwater harvesting/artificial recharge by the guidelines or criteria for evaluation of proposals.

List of Documents required for CGWA/CGWB NOC for Mining Water Boring NOC

• Consent to establish granted by the concerned State Pollution Control Board the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 and under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974;
• Consent to operate was granted by the concerned State Pollution Control Board under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 and the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974
• Site plan or map of the location
• Quality report from the governmental-approved lab on all exiting tube wells.
• Proposal for the rainwater harvesting/artificial recharge by the guidelines or criteria for evaluation of proposals.
• Letter of Authorization from concerned authority
• Detailed report on groundwater conditions around 5km of the area is required.

Procedure for acquiring CGWA-Water Boring NOC

The procedure for acquiring CGWA-Water Boring NOC is regulated as per the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986

Validity and Renewal of CGWA-Water Boring NOC

Once the application is submitted, and the No Objection Certificate is granted, it will be valid for two years from the date of issuance. In regards to the renewal of the No Objection Certificate, the application must be submitted 90 days before its expiry.

Fine and Penalty

As per new Central Ground Water Authority guidelines, acquiring NOC is mandatory if the industry or any operation is drawing more than ten cubic meters of groundwater. Apart from this, the applicant is also required to build an IoT-based Groundwater Monitoring System; in case this condition is not fulfilled, then the industry will be liable for a fine of up to Rs 2 lakhs.

How can Enterclimate assist you?