Editor Mr.Mayank Rawat ( Chief Editor Mr. Rohit Mishra )
New Delhi: Illegal extraction of water is “nothing less than sin,” Delhi High Court asserted on Wednesday. The capital may face a fate similar to that of Johannesburg in South Africa if it doesn’t stop unauthorised borewells, it warned.
“Some kind of deterrence needs to be imposed. It is nothing less than sin the way illegal borewells/submersible pumps are decreasing the water table. Do you know what happened in Johannesburg? The city had no water to drink a few years ago; they faced a major water crisis. Do you want to create that situation in Delhi also?” a bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyay and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela said.
The court was unhappy with the authorities for not being prompt enough to crack down on such borewells functioning illegally. “How can you even permit borewells? How can anyone living in Delhi do this?” it added, while making Delhi Pollution Control Committee a party to a PIL that raised concerns over the rampant misuse of borewells in a particular property in the Roshanara Road area of the city.
The plea complained that the local agencies, including Municipal Corporation of Delhi and Delhi Jal Board, didn’t take any action despite the issue being flagged to them. It expressed apprehension that illegal water extraction may affect the water table of the area and, with peak summer approaching, cause inconvenience to other residents.
The court noted that the plea raises concern about inaction by agencies for the removal of illegal and unauthorised borewells or submersible pumps in a property and agreed to order a joint survey by agencies. “Having regard to the ever-decreasing water table on account of such illegal activities, we direct that a survey be conducted of that building,” and ordered all the agencies concerned to depute a high-ranking official for the same.
Further seeking a detailed report from the agencies, the court made it clear it would examine the aspect of levying a compensatory cost for the damage done by the owners based on the findings of the report.
Mayank Rawat
