Assembly members pay homage to their departed colleagues on the first day of the monsoon session in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday. Picture by Sanjib Mukherjee

Bhubaneswar, Aug. 17: The Orissa government has decided to bring in a legislation to regulate the use of groundwater.

Parliamentary affairs minister Raghunath Mohanty today introduced the Orissa Ground Water (Regulation, Development and Management) Bill, 2011, in the Assembly.

The Bill envisages constitution of an authority to be known as the Orissa Ground Water Authority for effective regulation, development and management of groundwater. All the rig owners operating in Orissa would have to register with the authority.

In consultation with experts, the authority will identify the problem areas and advise the government to notify the same. In the notified areas, groundwater users would have to seek permission to construct new wells, except for the purpose of domestic and agriculture.

The authority shall take steps to ensure that extraction of groundwater does not exceed the natural replenishment to the aquifers and wherever there is mismatch, steps would be taken to ensure augmentation of groundwater recharge in addition to the regulatory measures. The authority will maintain and upkeep the database on the use of groundwater.

Any groundwater user desiring to sink a well in the notified areas for any purpose other than domestic and agricultural use shall have to apply to the authority for permission.

The authority will either grant or refuse the permit within a stipulated time-frame of 60 days. Under the provision, the rig owner shall have to register his machinery with the authority and follow the instructions.

The authority would enjoy the right to investigate and make any measurement concerning the land or water located on the surface or underground. It would also have the right to inspect wells being sunk. It can also direct the groundwater user to install water-measuring devices on any groundwater abstraction structure. It will enjoy the power to seize any equipment or device, utilised for illegal sinking, and demolish the work executed fully or partly.

It will also direct the groundwater user, who does not comply with the provisions and close down groundwater extraction. It can disconnect the power supply and demolish any hydraulic work found to be illegal.

For the improvement of groundwater in Orissa, the authority would undertake and promote various schemes for rainwater harvesting through construction of feasible recharge structures in rural and urban areas with adequate thrust on watershed management and mass awareness programmes.

The Bill empowers the authority to direct the owner of a building in respect of all areas with a population of 5,00,000 or more to go for rain harvesting. The Bill also speaks of the penal provisions to strictly regulate the use of groundwater.