Ghaziabad identifies 187 industries using borewell, submits report to green body

The Ghaziabad district administration on Thursday stated that 187 of the 233 industries in the district have functional borewells. The Ghaziabad district administration on Thursday submitted an affidavit to the National Green Tribunal in this regard.

The Ghaziabad district administration on Thursday stated that 187 of the 233 industries in the district have functional borewells. The Ghaziabad district administration on Thursday submitted an affidavit to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in this regard.

Extraction of groundwater is banned in Ghaziabad but many industrialists and realtors install borewells for use in their projects. (Sakib Ali/HT File Photo)

The inspection followed a petition filed by a Ghaziabad resident, in connection with depleting groundwater level in Ghaziabad and Hapur districts.

During a hearing on August 4, the tribunal had directed the Ghaziabad district magistrate to “appoint a team of officers to visit, inspect and find out whether any of these industries have bore well(s) and report to us as about the existence of number of bore wells in each industrial unit listed at annexure A-7.”

Petitioner Sushil Raghav had submitted a list of 233 industries that were drawing groundwater. Paras Nath, regional manager of the UP pollution control board, Ghaziabad, confirmed the submission of the affidavit and said, “the industries were drawing water and paying water cess as per the quantity used.”

The affidavit stated that of the 187 industries, 110 have presence of one borewell while the remaining 77 have more than one borewell. Another 46 units — two large, four medium and 40 small — were reported closed.

The report also submitted a detailed list of industrial units that includes tanneries, breweries and textile industries, among other water intensive units.

“We had submitted a list of water-intensive units and the NGT asked for a report on the issue. All blocks in Ghaziabad district, barring one, have become overexploited with regard to groundwater. Water-intensive industries are functioning without the necessary no-objection certificate (NOC) from the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA),” Raghav, the petitioner, said.

He also contended that the situation persists even as the CGWA declared the Ghaziabad municipal corporation area as ‘notified’ in 1998. In a notified area, extraction of groundwater for industrial and infrastructure projects is banned, except for drinking and domestic purposes.

In April 1999, the CGWA had further classified the total area under the Ghaziabad municipal corporation as ’critical’, in view of groundwater contamination by toxic elements due to industrial activities in the region.