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A committee comprising three members, established under the jurisdiction of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), has presented its findings regarding the unlawful extraction of groundwater by hotels providing lodging services in Ghaziabad. The committee has proposed imposing penalties on 84 such establishments, with fines ranging from Rs 10 to Rs 50 lakh per hotel, calculated retrospectively for a five-year period. Upon receiving a petition in 2018, the NGT acknowledged the problem of unauthorized groundwater extraction by 122 hotels in Ghaziabad and extended its investigation to encompass nine other cities in Uttar Pradesh.
Subsequently, in October 2022, the NGT formed a three-member committee, consisting of a representative from the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA), a member of the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB), and the District Magistrate (DM) or a DM-appointed member, to investigate and compile a report on the matter. Hari Om, an executive engineer at the irrigation department, explained that the committee conducted a thorough inspection and identified 84 hotels in Ghaziabad that were illegally extracting groundwater. Following the NGT's directive, the committee has recommended imposing fines on these hotels.
The fines are determined based on the size of the establishments, amounting to Rs 50 lakh for hotels with over 100 rooms, Rs 25 lakh for hotels with 50–100 rooms, and Rs 10 lakh for hotels with up to 50 rooms. Hari Om further elaborated on the calculation process, stating that the fines were based on a rate of Rs 80 per kilolitre/cubic metre, assuming a daily water consumption of 350 litres per room. This amounts to Rs 10,000 per room per year, resulting in a total of Rs 10 lakh per year for 100 rooms or Rs 50 lakh for five years. The same calculation method applies to other categories of establishments.
The NGT is scheduled to hear the case on July 3, indicating the importance and urgency of addressing this issue. Over the past six years, the groundwater level in Ghaziabad city has dropped by 6.1 metres, reflecting a concerning trend. The Loni and Bhojpur blocks of the district are categorized as overexploited areas, with groundwater levels decreasing by 5.5 metres and 2.4 metres, respectively, during the same period. While the groundwater level has increased in the remaining two blocks of the district, Rajapur is still classified as overexploited, and Muradnagar falls under the semi-critical category.
Ankita Ray, a hydrologist in the groundwater department, emphasized the significance of maintaining a balance between groundwater extraction and recharge. In Ghaziabad city, where extraction is as high as 263.4 percent, and in Bhojpur, Loni, and Rajapur, where extraction rates reach 140.9 percent, 132.9 percent, and 110.2 percent, respectively, the equilibrium is severely disrupted. Muradnagar is the only block in the Ghaziabad district where extraction remains below 100 percent, at 88.2 percent. It is evident that addressing the issue of unlawful groundwater extraction is crucial for sustaining equilibrium and ensuring the long-term availability of this vital resource in Ghaziabad and its surrounding areas.
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