Detailed Guidelines for Abstraction of Saline Ground Water

Water having above EC above 5000 µ siemens/cm at 250C is Saline Water. Any user desirous of utilizing saline groundwater is permitted to extract saline ground water and will be exempted from payment of ground water abstraction / restoration charges. However, all such users need to have proper effluent water disposal plan to avoid degrading of environment/ surroundings. Further, NOC shall not be granted to new major Industries in over-exploited assessment units.

No Objection Certificate (NOC) for Saline Ground Water extraction shall be granted subject to the following specific conditions:

1. Completely Saline Assessment Units

a) Piezometer shall be constructed and regular monitoring of piezometric level shall be undertaken.
b) All the users shall ensure real time monitoring of Groundwater quality especially electrical conductivity.
c) All the users’ need to adopt Rain Water Harvesting as per prevailing building bye laws of State/UTs within the premises.

2. Partially Saline Assessment Units

In areas where Saline Water occurs in lenses or fresh, overlies/underlies saline water zones , NOC shall be granted subject to following conditions:

(a) The Saline Water withdrawal shall avoid up coning of saline water into fresh water, mixing or sea water ingress towards land.
(b) Piezometer shall be constructed and regular monitoring of piezometric level shall be undertaken.
(c) All the users shall ensure real time monitoring of Groundwater quality especially electrical conductivity.
(d) All the users’ need to adopt Rain Water Harvesting as per prevailing building bye laws of state/UTs within the premises.
(e) In case well starts yielding fresh water instead of Saline Water, project proponent shall immediately inform the Regional Office, CGWB. The project proponent shall have to pay Groundwater Abstraction /Restoration charges as per the Guidelines notified vide S.O. 3289 Dated 24th  September 2020.

3. Document to be Submitted with the Application

(i) An affidavit on non judicial stamp paper of Rs. 10/- regarding Saline Groundwater extraction and its source (as per the pro-forma available on NOCAP portal).
(ii) Ground water quality data of existing well from any NABL accredited laboratory or Govt. approved laboratory.
(iii) All projects extracting saline groundwater in excess of 500 m3 /d in complete saline assessment units and 100 m3 /d in partial saline assessment units shall have to submit Impact Assessment Report along with groundwater modeling studies indicating saline – fresh water interface (in case of saline water aquifer overlies/underlies fresh water aquifers), impact of saline ground water abstraction on the ground water regime or impact of saline water pumping on saline water ingress in coastal areas .
(iv) Oil and mining companies to submit approved plan by the concerned Govt. agency/department in case of abstraction/dewatering or injection.

4. Groundwater Abstraction /Restoration Charges

Such Industries are exempted from paying Groundwater Abstraction/Restoration charges.

5. Renewal of NOC:

No objection Certificate (NOC) shall be renewed periodically as per the criteria mentioned in the guidelines to regulate and control groundwater extraction in India notified vide S.O.3289 Dated 24th  September 2020.

6. Other Conditions

i. Sale of ground water by a person/ agency not having valid no objection certificate from CGWA/State Ground Water Authority is not permitted.
ii. Non-compliance of conditions mentioned in the No Objection Certificate may be taken as sufficient reason for cancellation of no objection certificate accorded/ nonrenewal of No Objection Certificate.
iii. No application shall be entertained without supporting documents as specified in relevant section.
iv. Abstraction structure(s) should be located inside the premises of project property.
v. Self compliance of conditions laid down in the No Objection Certificate shall be reported by the users online in the web portal of Central Ground Water Authority/State Ground Water Authority.
vi. Extraction of Groundwater for commercial use without a valid No Objection Certificate from appropriate Authority shall be considered illegal and such entities shall be liable to pay Environmental Compensation for the quantum of Groundwater so extracted, as per Section 15 of S.O. 3289(E) Dated 24th  September 2020.
vii. Penalty provision for non Compliance of No Objection Certificate conditions shall be applicable as per Section 16 of S.O. 3289(E) Dated 24th  September 2020.