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Scroll.in
07-07-2025
- Business
- Scroll.in
How Mumbai neglected its groundwater – only to become dependent on it
In April, Mumbai's municipal corporation invoked the Disaster Management Act, 2005, to manage a crisis sparked by a strike by the city's water tanker association. Many Mumbai residents, living both in buildings and informal slums, institutions and businesses, routinely depend on tankers for water – a fact that became even more apparent when the association's members went off the road to protest against a slew of new regulations. To meet the challenge, the municipality issued a notification requisitioning private tankers, their drivers, cleaners and wells and borewells across the city. The association withdrew the strike after five days, but the respite it offers does not address the core problem: that Mumbai's water supply is unequal, inefficient and inadequately planned, ignoring locally available groundwater resources. In fact, Mumbai has access to sufficient water reserves. It is building wastewater treatment plants to boost its supply of non-potable water – even though that is what tankers primarily provide. The commercial capital's reliance on tankers is a man-made crisis that reflects the misplaced priorities of its administrators. Policy neglect of groundwater The immediate trigger for the tanker strike in April was a set of regulatory conditions introduced by the Central Ground Water Authority in 2020. As part of the new regulations, all borewell owners, if they wanted to continue their tanker operations, were required to obtain a permit and a no-objection certificate, fulfilling the conditions laid down by the ground water authority. Mumbai's water tankers obtain their supply from wells and borewells, tapping into the city's aquifers. The city has significant groundwater reserves that have been used for decades, mainly for non-potable purposes. Despite this long-standing reality, the city's water supply department has persistently ignored groundwater when making policy. This neglect can be attributed largely to the historical dependence on surface water sourced from distant reservoirs, coupled with institutional inertia within the water supply department – an entity predominantly staffed by civil engineers, who typically lack the capacity or expertise required for effective groundwater management. There has been no acknowledgement of the city's groundwater in all the calculations of Mumbai's water demand and supply – in the Master Plan for Water Supply of Mumbai (1999), the White Paper on Water Supply of Mumbai (2009) or the Regional Plan for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (2021). Planning has proceeded under the assumption that groundwater does not exist in Mumbai. In 1994, a committee chaired by expert engineer MA Chitale had pointed out that though Mumbai's groundwater was limited, it could play an important role in the city's future water supply. The committee had been tasked with planning future water resources for the city and suggesting improvements to the then-existing water supply system. It had specifically recommended that groundwater sources should be developed scientifically for non-potable use and that a dedicated geohydrological unit should be set up within the municipal administration to plan and manage groundwater resources. The Chitale Committee's recommendations for new dams and desalination projects were taken aboard but the advice on groundwater management was forgotten. Is limited regulation the solution? The Central Ground Water Authority, established under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, aims to regulate groundwater usage primarily to conserve its level and quality across the country. As a part of this regulatory process, the authority has issued guidelines for tanker operators. Since the Central Ground Water Authority lacks its own enforcement machinery, Mumbai's municipal corporation has been rigorously enforcing tanker-related regulations: requiring tanker operators and borewell owners to install digital water flow metres, maintain daily records of groundwater extraction, adhere to water quality standards prescribed by the Bureau of Indian standards and ensure the ownership of a 200-square-metre land around groundwater sources. But Mumbai's municipal corporation itself has done nothing to study or understand the city's groundwater situation or act on the recommendations of the Chitale committee. Regulating groundwater and the tanker system is vital but this demands a broader perspective: what is the purpose of such regulation and who will it serve? Will it be citizen-centric and environment-friendly? Will regulation be limited to issuing permits and no-objection certificates and creating a new revenue stream for the groundwater authority, or will it truly conserve groundwater? The municipal corporation and groundwater authority must articulate how conservation objectives will be achieved. They must also specify how, during periods of water shortage, tanker services will be made available to all citizens fairly and affordably. Otherwise, regulation risks becoming a bureaucratic exercise, disconnected from the real needs of residents. If the municipal corporation is serious about regulating groundwater use, it must move decisively in that direction: identifying types of groundwater aquifers within the city and their characteristics, demarcating recharge and discharge zones of groundwater, setting up a mechanism to monitor groundwater levels, quality and rate of extraction, and preparing an aquifer management plan. Establishing a dedicated geohydrological unit within the municipality's water supply division, as suggested by the Chitale Committee, would be a crucial first step. The mismanagement of groundwater is just one part of the inequitable and inefficient piped water supply in Mumbai. Mumbai's urban water supply The crisis triggered by the tanker strike points to deeper and systemic problems of water governance in Mumbai. According to the Regional Plan for Mumbai Metropolitan Region released in 2021, the city is supplied with 252 litres per capita per day for domestic use alone – enough to meet the needs of the entire population. Non-domestic water use accounts for only around 10% of the city's total water supply. Yet, large sections of Mumbai's residents depend on private water tankers. On the ground, the disparity is stark. Nearly half the city's population lives in slums, where the entitled supply is just 100 litres per capita per day. Many in non-notified slums are disconnected from the formal water network. With enough water allocated to residents, at least on paper, why does the city still face acute shortages and an ever-growing reliance on tankers? The real issue, then, is not scarcity, but inequity and inefficiency in water distribution due to shortfall in coverage and insufficient pressure and hours of water supply. Gargai dam and desalination project Taking advantage of the tanker strike crisis, the Maharashtra government on April 17 hastily approved the long-pending Gargai dam project, with a capacity of 440 million litres per day and cost estimated at a staggering Rs 3,105 crore. Moreover, Mumbai's municipal corporation recently completed the long-standing tendering process for a 200 MLD desalination plant, with an estimated cost of around Rs 3,200 crore. But Mumbai does not need this dam and desalination project. The municipal corporation is already investing nearly Rs 26,000 crore to build seven wastewater treatment plants that are expected to supply 2,464 million litres per day after secondary treatment – of this, 1,232 million litres per day will be suitable even for drinking purposes after tertiary treatment. Three of these plants – at Ghatkopar, Bhandup and Versova – with a combined capacity of 732 million litres per day, are slated to be operational next year, with the rest by 2028. Even if this treated water is primarily allocated for non-potable uses, Mumbai will still have access to surplus water within the next three years. In light of this, the municipal administration must urgently shift focus from building the new dam and desalination project to fixing water distribution inefficiencies and managing groundwater resources more intelligently. Groundwater ownership Another concern that must also be addressed is that under current laws, groundwater ownership is linked to land ownership: whoever owns the land owns the water beneath it. This legal framework allows private landowners to sell groundwater, often resulting in over-extraction and profiteering. While the government and other public agencies invest in groundwater recharge and conservation efforts, private well and borewell owners reap the benefits without any obligation to contribute to groundwater conservation. This is particularly evident in Mumbai and other Indian cities, where water shortages have created a thriving private tanker economy. If groundwater is truly a commons, urgent legal reform is needed to separate groundwater ownership from land ownership. Only then can genuine groundwater conservation efforts succeed, both in urban and rural India.
Time of India
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Villages pulled from planning areas are governed by RP: HC
Panaji: The high court of Bombay at Goa has held that govt was incorrect in assuming that planning areas, once removed, cease to be governed under the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Act. In a major setback to the TCP department's plans for allowing construction activities along the North Goa coastal belt, the high court last week held that the two ODPs of Calangute-Candolim and Arpora-Nagoa-Parra could not operate for these villages, and would not govern them. It directed the state to follow Regional Plan 2021 for the approval of plans and the grant of permissions in these villages. 'Since the villages now fall in non-planning areas and the North Goa planning and development authority (NGPDA) has no jurisdiction, but the town and country planning department has assumed jurisdiction, it is open for it to process the permissions for development not as per the outlined development plan, which already lapsed, but as per the Regional Plan 2021,' stated the division bench comprising justices Bharati Dangre and Nivedita Mehta. These villages, once withdrawn from planning areas, still continue to be governed by the Regional Plan as the planning area falls within the state of Goa and the TCP Act extends to the whole of Goa, the high court observed. The high court order on the ODPs came after a series of legal back and forths, with the matter even reaching the Supreme Court, as the TCP department desperately tried to defend its implementation. The high court stated that state govt was not justified in invoking executive powers in issuing an executive order (enabling continuance of impugned ODPs) on the premise that there was a vacuum in the absence of a statutory regime governing the withdrawn planning areas, and that to fill the gap, the executive must step in and make an 'order' governing areas which are withdrawn as planning areas. As long as the Goa TCP Act continues to govern land development in the state through the regional plan, and since the Regional Plan 2021 is already in operation, there was no justification for the state in using the executive order, the court observed. From issuing circulars to even an ordinance, state govt has been trying hard to keep alive the ODPs despite initially suspending them due to large-scale illegalities. But in between all the legal wrangles, the TCP department went ahead with zone changes on its own. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Doctor's Day 2025 , messages and quotes!
Time of India
05-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
Goa plans to set up board to revive khazan land, will override TCP Act
Panaji: Faced with depleting land use, state govt has recommended setting up a board to revive the khazan land. The board's decision on land use will be final and will override the Regional Plan, ODPs and other land use policies, except the Goa Land Use Act of 1991, which will continue to apply to lands under agricultural tenancy, as these are also outside the scope of the TCP Act, 1974. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The Khazan Land Management Plan (KMP) is meant to preserve all farmland and improve food security by growing more rice, vegetables, and fish locally. It suggests surveying the land for cultivation or types of cultivation on existing active khazans and land left fallow. As per the recommendations, the khazan board or any similar agency govt chooses to set up, will manage all areas as zoned in four categories: K1 — low salinity, good for vegetables and second-season rice; K2 — moderate salinity, can grow salt-tolerant rice; K3 — high salinity, suitable for traditional rice, salt, and fish farming; and KH — highly degraded, mostly abandoned with mangrove growth. The department of environment and climate change will officially notify the formation of the khazan board and act as its secretariat. 'Once formed, the board will prepare the detailed KMP based on the CRZ 2011 notification and the approved Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP). The department will define the board's legal powers, structure, and responsibilities within six months. KMP will be reviewed and updated as per the CZMP and CRZ notification in force from time to time,' the recommendations said. The plan recommends conducting comprehensive soil mapping and salinity profiling across different khazan zones to assess soil health and productivity potential for determining suitable crop and aquaculture zones. Under the action plan, it is recommended to implement periodic water quality monitoring to measure parameters like salinity, pH, dissolved oxygen, nutrients, and heavy metal contamination to ensure safe aquaculture and agriculture practices. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The aim is to promote desalination techniques, controlled tidal flushing, and freshwater irrigation to maintain soil fertility and improve agricultural productivity. 'It will also utilise bio-remediation techniques such as microbial consortia and organic amendments to enhance soil and water quality in consultation with ICAR and other institutes,' the plan said. A detailed study-cum-mapping is needed to understand the total khazan land and ownership, the status of sluice gates, salt pans, and bunds, functional tenants' associations and their activities over the past five years, auction details and earnings from fisheries, the total number of internal water bodies for the revival of khazan land, the plan said. Understanding the extent and distribution of salinity is crucial for the revival action plans for both sustainable agriculture and aquaculture. 'This data can be additionally verified as per ground truthing, including its status if degraded. Degraded lands which cannot be restored should be identified,' the plan said. To undertake GIS-based mapping, a pilot study for the identification of khazan lands using UAV-based LiDAR technology by involving local communities is recommended. Classification can be based on salinity levels, acidity levels, water retention capacity, and existing land use patterns, highly productive zones, degraded areas, and restoration sites, the plan said.
Time of India
05-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Now, TCP approves conversion of 1L sqm land under Sec 39A
The airstrip and hangar at Michael Boren's Hell Roaring Ranch in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area in Idaho, May 30, 2025. Boren, nominated by President Trump to lead the Forest Service, is accused of threatening trail workers with a helicopter, building an airstrip without a permit and putting a cabin on federal property. (Aaron Agosto/The New York Times) Panaji: The Town and Country Planning (TCP) department has approved the conversion of just over 1 lakh sqm of land that was earlier classified as orchard and natural cover. The TCP board cleared the five applications for land conversion under Section 39A of the Goa Town and Country Planning Act after 'due consideration of the suggestions' received during a 30-day window, said Vertika Dagur, TCP's chief town planner (planning). Dagur said the alteration and conversion of the five plots in the Regional Plan, 2021, will be subject to the outcome of the writ petitions pending before the high court. The PIL, filed by Goa Foundation, challenges the provisions of Section 39A, alleging that they allow arbitrary and ad hoc conversions of privately owned plots within the Regional Plan and notified outline development plans, which could lead to unplanned and undesirable development in Goa. Of the 1 lakh sqm that was put up for conversion, nearly 69,129sqm falls in Pernem's Parcem village. The entire tranche of land was converted for residential housing. The TCP department said that it examined the five proposals along with scrutiny reports before placing the applications before the TCP board for its decision. Dagur said govt has also approved the change of zone for the five plots. 'Therefore, in view of the recommendation of the Goa TCP board being approved by govt and in exercise of the powers conferred by Section 39A of the Goa TCP Act, the Regional Plan and the outline development plan is hereby altered and modified as specified,' Dagur said. Section 39 of the TCP Act garnered attention after the HC read down Section 17(2) of the Goa Town and Country Planning (TCP) Act, which the department was using to facilitate land conversion in the Regional Plan and outline development plans. The high court had observed that 'plot-by-plot conversion' under Section 17(2) 'virtually has the effect of mutilating the Regional Plan' and thus the scope of the law had to be narrowed.
Time of India
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Goa govt challenges high court order on Sec 17(2) of TCP Act in Supreme Court
Panaji: Two months after the high court of Bombay at Goa struck down the rules and guidelines of the controversial Section 17 (2) of the Town and Country Planning Act , 1974, in 'public interest', state govt challenged the high court order in Supreme Court . 'After being entirely unclear of its proposed actions against the 17(2) judgment of the HC, Goa govt filed its SLP against the judgment this week,' Goa Foundation director Claude Alvares said. He said that as per govt's initial statements, the judgment was in its favour and there was no need to appeal. 'Now govt has once again changed its mind.' On May 2, TOI reported that the high court judgment became effective after the expiry of six weeks from the date of the verdict on March 13. After TCP minister Vishwajit Rane announced that state govt would not approach Supreme Court in the matter, all eyes were on govt's next move. The affected land developers were hopeful of some relief from the TCP department within the framework of the TCP Act. However, the greens are firm on fighting another legal battle to protect the environment. After the judgment was delivered on March 13, govt had sought a stay on the operation of the judgment for six weeks, which was accepted by the court. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 빠진 치아 있다면? 1개도 10개도 개당 33만원에 임플란트 해드려요 플란치과 더 알아보기 Undo 'Almost all the conversions are from paddy fields, natural cover, no-development zone, and orchard to settlement zones,' the HC said, adding that according to the state, 353 approvals under Section 17(2) were granted, affecting 26.5 lakh sqm. 'The 2023 rules confer unfettered and unguided authority on the executive to interpret what is meant by an inadvertent error or what is an inconsistent/incoherent zoning proposal,' the HC stated. 'There is no guidance in the 2023 rules themselves as to what is an 'inadvertent error or incoherent or inconsistent zoning proposal'. The power is open-ended.' Such 'plot-by-plot conversion, creating a zone within a zone virtually has the effect of mutilating the Regional Plan prepared after such an elaborate exercise,' the high court said. Two days after the HC struck down the rules and guidelines, Rane had said that govt would tweak the rules and guidelines in line with the HC directions and make Section 17(2) operational. Rane made a U-turn over his statement to challenge the HC order in Supreme Court and said that he would not do so.
