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Faridabad stares at water crisis

Faridabad, the industrial hub of Haryana, is staring at a severe water crisis in near future due to a lack of proper management and planning of its water resources.

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Bijendra Ahlawat

Faridabad, the industrial hub of Haryana, is staring at a severe water crisis in near future due to a lack of proper management and planning of its water resources. It has already been declared as a dark zone with regard to groundwater resources. The Faridabad civic authorities have been unable to keep a tab on the water mafia engaged in excessive exploitation and theft of the available water resources.

“The underground water table has already receded sharply over the years to between 250 feet and 750 feet in Faridabad city and the district as well in the absence of a stable policy of harnessing water resources,” says an official of the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) working under the Union Ministry of Water.  

He blames the local authorities for not implementing a long-term plan to check excessive exploitation of water resources. Since the population of Faridabad city has crossed 16 lakh, a large number of residents will be requiring adequate water supply as per the master plan of 2031, says Sanjiv Maan, Senior Town Planner. 

He says that the civic authorities need to implement a long-term water supply plan to cover all residential and non-residential sectors or colonies that will come up in future, so that there is no crisis of basic amenities.

The CGWB and the state governments in a joint survey had estimated replenishable groundwater resources of the country, including the National Capital Region (NCR), in 2009. As many as 76 assessment units falling in four states, namely Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, have been categorised as “over exploited,” says a report published on behalf of the Union Ministry of Water Resources in August 2013. Though the Union Government in a report in 2014 stated that as many as 22 cities of the country faced a water crisis, the Centre for Science and Environment, an NGO, had claimed in a report in 2018 that 21 cities in the country would have depleted water resources in 2030.

“While Faridabad is reported to be in this list, the civic authorities have mooted no action plan,” says Jitender Bhadana, an activist of ‘Save Aravallis’, an NGO. 

While the underground water table has dropped to 750 feet in Aravalli hills, it has fallen to 400 feet in most parts of Faridabad city. The water was available at a minimum of 250 feet in the belt in the vicinity of the Yamuna riverbed only, he adds. Residents of Pali village had held a panchayat recently to announce a campaign against illegal supply of water from over 12 tubewells operated by the mafia in the vicinity of their village. 

Nearly one-third of the tubewells set up by the Municipal Corporation Faridabad in various residential sectors have already dried up. The civic body is now dependent on the Ranneywell water project having supply from  tubewells operating from the Yamuna riverbed in the district. “From where will we get water if the riverbed also dries up in near future?” asks Satinder Singh a social activist residing in Sector 86. He says that the discharge of untreated waste and dumping of chemical-laced pollutants in the open and into  canals are major threats to underground water resources. The Gurgaon and Agra canals that carry irrigation water are acutely polluted and their water has become unfit even for agriculture, he adds. 

“We are aware of the issue and have been working to check excessive exploitation of water and also ensure a fair supply of water to residents in future also,” says DR Bhaskar, Chief Engineer, MCF. 

He says that regular drives are being launched to check illegal digging or operation of unauthorised tubewells. Water supply connections of many unauthorised users are being disconnected every month, besides closing down illegal tubewells. All such tubewells are required to be sealed or shut down, according to Section 4 of the Environment Protection Act 1986, adds Bhaskar.

While the MCF has over 1,400 tubewells in various wards that supply drinking water, a large number of authorised and unauthorised RO water treatment plants have also been operational, which supply bottled water to residents.

Villagers campaign against water mafia

}While the underground water table has dropped to 750 feet in Aravalli hills, it has fallen to 400 feet in most parts of Faridabad city. The water is available at a minimum of 250 feet in the belt in the vicinity of the Yamuna riverbed only. Residents of Pali village had held a panchayat recently to announce a campaign against illegal supply of water from over 12 tubewells operated by the mafia in the vicinity of their village.— Jitender Bhadana, activist of NGO Save Aravallis 

Precarious situation

  • Nearly one-third of the tubewells set up by the Municipal Corporation Faridabad in various residential sectors have already dried up. 
  • The civic body is now dependent on the Ranneywell water project having supply from  tubewells operating from the Yamuna riverbed in the district. 
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