Advertisement
Ghaziabad administration has put its foot down on water conservation. Housing societies that haven't installed rainwater harvesting systems are now staring at fines of up to INR 300,000. This intensified action follows a National Green Tribunal order and growing concerns over groundwater depletion. Over 70% of groundwater sources in the district are already critically overexploited. The city's Municipal Corporation has started serving notices, with enforcement expected to expand across wards in phases. Authorities stress that compliance is not optional rainwater harvesting is now a must-have, not a good-to-have.
Ghaziabad's Municipal Corporation has begun issuing notices to residential societies that have failed to implement rainwater harvesting systems, warning of penalties as high as INR 3 lakh. This move is not sudden; it's part of a larger crackdown driven by mounting environmental concerns and reinforced by the recent directive from the National Green Tribunal. Advertisement
Senior municipal officials said the enforcement was initiated in response to the deteriorating groundwater situation in the city. According to data from the Central Ground Water Board, over 70% of Ghaziabad's groundwater blocks are classified as overexploited. Areas like Vaishali, Indirapuram, Vasundhara, and Raj Nagar Extension have been flagged for significant groundwater stress.
The city authorities clarified that a phased inspection is already underway. Out of 100 identified locations, officials have already visited 20. Notices have been sent to the managements of non-compliant societies, with a warning period of two weeks to either show an operational rainwater harvesting structure or face fines. The penalty will be determined based on plot size and severity of non-compliance.
A senior officer from Ghaziabad Nagar Nigam explained that for plots measuring 300 square meters or more, installation of rainwater harvesting systems has been mandatory for years under building bye-laws. However, execution remained spotty until now. Most societies either never built the system or let them become dysfunctional, the officer noted, adding that repeated warnings had failed to yield results.
This time, the civic body has also involved the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board, which will independently verify the operational status of the systems. According to the enforcement plan, societies that ignore the warnings could face multiple rounds of penalty and even risk revocation of completion certificates or service connections in extreme cases.
The city is taking cues from earlier actions in Delhi and Noida, where similar defaulters were fined heavily. For example, in Noida, a housing project was recently fined INR 5 lakh for using potable water for horticulture and cleaning, instead of treating and reusing wastewater highlighting how serious the matter has become across NCR.
Environmentalists have welcomed the move, saying it's long overdue. We've seen groundwater levels fall by over 1 meter annually in parts of Ghaziabad. If residents don't act now, borewells will go dry in the coming years, said a local water conservation expert. Residents too have expressed concern but say they need time and technical support to get these systems running effectively.
5th Jun, 2025
25th May, 2023
11th May, 2023
27th Apr, 2023
Advertisement
Facebook
Whatsapp
