The packaged drinking water sector is over-exploiting groundwater resources in the absence of a proper regulatory framework. The data of Ministry of Water Resources shows that a large number of licences have been given in the States, where the groundwater levels are already declared critical. Packaged drinking water plants are extracting 13.3 Million Cubic (m3) Metres of groundwater annually.
Tamil Nadu leads the pack with the maximum 374 units with 895 m3 per day withdrawal, followed by Rajasthan having 172 units with 60 m3 per day withdrawal. Uttar Pradesh has 111 units that withdraw 941 m3 per day.
The data also shows Karnataka has 63 such units that withdraw 60 m3 per day ground water while Andhra Pradesh has 41 units which extract 55 m3 per day. Gujarat has 24 units that withdraw 8 m3 per day.
According to officials of the Ministry, at least 18 packaged drinking water units have been allowed to be set up in ‘Semi-Critical’ areas of Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, which together extract 2552 m3 of ground water every day.
“Besides, one unit each in ‘Critical’ areas of Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand have been permitted to withdraw as much as 825 m3 water per day,” officials said.
As per reports, ground water has reached 15 to 40 metres below ground level (M BGl) in semi-critical and critical zone areas in these States. In the western parts of the country, deeper water level is recorded in the depth range of 20-40 M BGl and more than 40 MBGl. In some parts of Haryana, and Delhi and almost major parts of Rajasthan, water level of more than 40 M BGl is recorded.
The data further shows there are 115 water packaging units in Haryana, out of which 39 are in Faridabad. These units are mostly scattered. In Punjab, 15 packaging water industries are operating with permission of the State Pollution Control Board. They are extracting approximately 90 million litres per day of water. In Himachal Pradesh, 11 units are provisionally registered.
The data shows that the State Governments have provided 4114 licences while the Centre provided 830 licences to firms to extract ground water for packaged drinking water purposes.
Interestingly, the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) had conducted a study of 88 industrial clusters to ascertain the impact of industries on the groundwater quality. It was found that many chemical constituents have been found to be in excess of permissible limits in case of such industries as pharmaceutical, petroleum, leather, tanneries, electroplating units, coal and oil combustion in power plants and fertilisers.
The most common ions found beyond permissible units are chlorides and nitrates.
As per data, the annual replenishable ground water resources of the country are 447 Billion Cubic Metre (BCM). Of these, 253 BCM are being utilised.
Of them, 228 BCM is being used for irrigation purpose while 25 BCM is for drinking, domestic and industrial use. Further, out of 6584 assessment units (block/taluk/firqa), 1034 are over-exploited, 253 are critical and 681 are semi-critical. 4520 units are safe and 96 assessment units are saline.
Recently, a Parliamentary Standing Committee on Water Resources had asked the Government to carry out assessment of total quantum of ground water being used by the packaged drinking water industries and its consequent effect on ground water level in the areas where these industries have come up on a large scale.
Recommending taxation on these units, the Committee said the trade of the Packaged Drinking Water Industry runs into billions of rupees without paying any tax or contribution in any welfare schemes. “The imposition of tax at higher rates can be an effective deterrent against indiscriminate use of groundwater,” it said.