Six developers fined ₹35 lakh for illegal water extraction in Noida

They said the dewatering exercise was being carried out at the construction sites in sectors 153, 154 and 129 in Noida

The Gautam Budh Nagar groundwater department has imposed a cumulative penalty of ₹ 35 lakh on six builders who were allegedly involved in the illegal extraction of groundwater for construction purposed, said officials on Wednesday.

Officials of the groundwater department said illegal extraction of groundwater poses a significant threat to the water table, which is already depleting at an alarming rate in the district. Notably, Noida’s groundwater level dropped by 9.9 metres in the post-monsoon months and 8.5 metres in the pre-monsoon months between 2017-2023. (HT Archive)

They said the dewatering exercise was being carried out at the construction sites in sectors 153, 154 and 129 in Noida.

Groundwater department officials said the inspections are being carried out to identify illegal dewatering activities in the district and penalties imposed will be doubled in case of a delay in payment.

“A fine of ₹10 lakh has been imposed on a builder found illegally extracting groundwater at a site in Sector 154 while five other developers in sectors 154, 153 and 129 have been fined ₹ 5 lakh each for the illegal activity at their respective construction sites. Inspections are being carried out and we have been keeping a tab to ensure that dewatering activities do not resume at these sites,” said Ankita Rai, hydrologist, groundwater department.

“Further inspections are ongoing to identify similar offenders to initiate legal action against them,” Rai said.

Officials of the groundwater department said illegal extraction of groundwater poses a significant threat to the water table, which is already depleting at an alarming rate in the district.

Notably, Noida’s groundwater level dropped by 9.9 metres in the post-monsoon months and 8.5 metres in the pre-monsoon months between 2017-2023, owing to limited rainfall and water recharge, as per district groundwater department.

In the pre-monsoon months, the level plummeted to 22.5 metres in 2023 from 14 metres in 2017, while in the post-monsoon months, the groundwater level dropped from 13.1 metres in 2017 to 23 metres in 2023, according to the department.

DM Verma has directed the groundwater department officials to launch inspections in industrial, commercial, residential as well as government establishments to ensure that they have rooftop rainwater harvesting systems in place.

“Strict instructions have been issued to check for water recharge mechanism in all types of buildings. Officials have been directed to initiate legal action in case such systems are missing in buildings. The no objection certificates issued to such establishments will be cancelled,” said Verma.

Earlier this month, the groundwater department had imposed a penalty of ₹5,00,000 each on six erring developers for dewatering in Sector 153, 154 and 156.

Gautam Budh Nagar has been observing a “Groundwater Week” from July 16, in an attempt to spread awareness among residents about the need to conserve groundwater and to sensitise people towards participating in water recharging activities.