I am writing this post on behalf of my father Mr. Mahendra Sharma. I believe his ideas, if implemented, may prove beneficial both for government and environment. Thus, I am writing down his ideas with additional backup of data wherever required.

Refilling ground water : The need

Its a well known fact that ground water level is rapidly falling – reason being over usage of ground water for all kind of purpose like irrigation, industrial and domestic use. Given below is a map that demonstrates the scenario of ground water level in India for the year 2015 (compared by mean of water level through 2005-2014). Central Ground Water Board has done a great job in compiling this report.

The map clearly register fall in ground water level in many regions.

One don’t require assistance of such graphs to assess seriousness of the situation – our daily newspapers are filled with news ofo grou water scarcity in society.

Solution: Mandating Water Refilling System

Present government seems to be serious about endeavors  to replenish water resources and conserving nature. We just want to suggest one more addition to their efforts.

Nowadays, everybody resorts to groundwater to fulfill their water related needs. The reason being –  it is easily accessible and free from any consumption bar. And, the real problem is that very less people believes in giving back what they have taken.

People keeps on taking from wells, bore-wells etc without bothering to recharge them with rainwater. Ground water can be easily replenished with rain water if rain water harvesting system would be installed  in every home. People consider installation of water harvesting system  as an extra load on them and thus ignore this crucial part of maintaining ecological balance.

Following steps should be taken by municipal corporation to promote installation of water harvesting system:

Borewell Permit:

Those who want to acquire bore-well in their premises should seek out permit for same from municipal corporation. They should also mention their intended usage while asking for permit. For example, if the well is required for domestic usage or industrial purpose. Based on information furnished by requester – estimated water usage should be calculated and then requester should be suggested by municipal corporation as to apply water harvesting over suitable area.

Within a fixed frame of time after a request is logged for a site -the requester should submit proof of installation in form of receipt and photographs of his site. Otherwise, an inspection should be made by municipal corporation to check for installation of water harvesting system.

Licensing of drillers:

Bore-well drillers should be licensed by municipal corporation for carrying out drilling activities. Drillers should be mandated to disclose their drilling sites, maybe at the end of the month and an inspection should be made to check for water harvesting system installation.

Concession on Property Tax:

To attract and promote the scheme among people government can provide some lucrative concession to people who perform water recharging.

Conclusion:

Water crisis have haunted humankind through ages. Its not that we have any less water resources – its only that we don’t understand the importance of managing it. Refilling ground water can be a little step toward fighting this crisis while being accountable to our natural resources.

Some endeavors were made in this direction in past [Source: Rainwater harvesting must before digging borewell] , we just need to amplify and universalize efforts like these.