It has been almost a year since the Maharashtra Water Resources Regulatory Authority (MWRRA) bestowed the responsibility of conducting a survey on the quality and quantity of groundwater in the city to the Groundwater Survey and Development Agency (GSDA). However, the report for the assessment of groundwater has still not been prepared.
The MWRRA, the state's groundwater authority, had asked GSDA to conduct the survey in July, 2017. In a meeting held soon after, the GSDA had sought for a hydrological year (June 1,2017 to May 31, 2018) to carry out the assessment for the quality and quantity of groundwater. It had also asked the MWRRA to direct the Brihanmumbai Municipal Coporation (BMC) to participate and extend their cooperation in the survey, including the provision of data, map collection of wards.
Additionally, the GSDA had even suggested that the initial stages would be restricted to conducting a sample survey of wells in certain wards.
The information was extracted by an Right to Information (RTI) applicant, Sureshkumar Dhoka. Earlier, Dhoka had shook the authorities on the illegal drawing of water from a well in a building at Kalbadevi. His efforts led to the closure of the illegal well after the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in Pune passed the direction. Subsequently, Dhoka decided to take up the bigger fight against the illegal drawing of water in the city.
Dhoka, in his RTI appeal, had asked both the authorities — MWRRA and GSDA — for details regarding the number of legal and illegal wells in the city, the action against illegal wells and the penalty levied on illegal wells.
The GSDA, in its reply, stated the survey is yet to be complete and it does have information on the details of the wells in the island city and suburbs, informing that the such information should be sought from the BMC.
The survey will be conducted according to the GEC 2015 methodology, informed the GSDA.
DELAYED
- The MWRRA, the state’s groundwater authority, had asked GSDA to conduct the survey in July, 2017
- In a meeting held soon after, the GSDA had sought for a hydrological year (June 1,2017 to May 31, 2018) to carry out the assessment for the quality and quantity of groundwater
