A day after Punjab Water Regulation and Development Agency notified “Punjab Groundwater Extraction and Conservation Directions, 2023” to regulate the state’s groundwater, the state’s Principal Secretary (Water Resources) Krishan Kumar on Sunday clarified that the Authority has exempted extraction of groundwater for agriculture and for drinking and domestic usage.
At the same time, he made it clear that user, extracting up to 300 cubic meters of water per month, is also exempted. The directions, issued on Saturday, do not cover groundwater use for agriculture, drinking, and domestic purposes.
Similarly, new directions also exempt government water supply schemes, military and central paramilitary establishments, urban local bodies, panchayati raj institutions, cantonment boards, improvement trusts, area development authorities and places of worship.
Under these directions, Authority’s permission will be mandatory for extracting groundwater by every Commercial and Industrial User in Punjab.