Chennai Metropolitan Area Groundwater (Regulation) Act, 1987 This document is available at ielrc.org/content/e8705.pdf For further information, visit www.ielrc.org Note: This document is put online by the International Environmental Law Research Centre (IELRC) for information purposes. This document is not an official version of the text and as such is only provided as a source of information for interested readers. IELRC makes no claim as to the accuracy of the text reproduced which should under no circumstances be deemed to constitute the official version of the document. International Environment House, Chemin de Balexert 7, 1219 Geneva, Switzerland +41 (0)22 797 26 23 – [email protected] – www.ielrc.org !J: : Ms4'&U~ WHEREAS the United Nations Development B 4 .- . ..-which conducted pre-inve nt studies on- imp]-oving water sup# ., , $and sewerage systems o* concurred with the estimation of It , d4 la( ithe Geological Survey of India that groundwater can be extracted 6' , :from the twenty kilometre stretch of the coastal zone between South k~ i XMadras and Kovalam ; jl cAoMul- i AND WHEREAS the,&sbs Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board h all other possibilities of augmenting , water supply to th have been exhausted and that it is necessary tq the extraction and use of water in any form and to conserve the same in the City and the district of Chengalpattu and to regulate and control the transport of groundwater ; 4H AND WHEREAS based on the United Nations Development Ro- gramme studies, a scheme, for artificial re-charge of the Arni-Korte- lfiyar Wi with excess flood water flowing into the sea is to be taken up by interlinking Arni and Korteliyar at two or more feasible points p 'and dso by constructing sufficient number of check dams at the h , appppriate places in the Korteliyar river course ; < . ,3 . i: AND WHEREAS such re-charge will enable optimum utilisation of F. * ground water and formation of a hydraulic barrier against sea water instfusion ; I 1 AND WHFBEAS the Government have, after careful examination of all aspects, decided that it is necessary in the public interest to regulate and control th? extraction and use .of groundwa eg in 'fdand to conserve the groundwater in the City of -3 certain revenue villages in the district of1 Chengalpattu and to regulate t ,and control the transport of groundw,at.er; ,BE,it enacted by the Le;:islative Assembly of the State of Tamil Nadc - jnt'the Thirty-eighth Year of the Republic of India as follows :- 1. Short title, xte t and commencemenl.-dl), This Act may be ' bstii~ckthe ~AetropolitanArea Groundwater (Regulation) 'kct; 1987. I I' I & - (2) It extends to the whole of the City of and thc , revenue villages in the Chengalpattu district speceule Sche- I i , ' 'dule . (3) Sections 14 and 15 shall come into force on such date as the Government may, by notification, appoint and the rest of this , Act shall come into force at once. , i-IL-* .- --__ F-- -. -- - -- 'I'A MI L NADU G0VEKNR.f ENT GAZETTE EXrRAORDINARY 133: ---- - - --- , t 8 2. Definitions.-In this Act, unless the context otherwise re- quires,- (a) "Board" means and Sewerage Board politzn Water Supply and Sewerage Act, 1978 (Ta of 1978) ; t c.!!DD~s~~; (b) '( competent authority " means the authority specified in I section 3 ; I I (c) " date of commencement of this, Act '' n1;ans the date d publicatic.7 of this Act in the Tamil Nadu Governnlerzt Gcrzette; (d) " domestic purposes " means the purposes of drinking, cooking, bathing, wwhing and flushing of toilet ; and the expression " domestic " with all its grammatical variations and cognate expres- sions shall be construed accordingly; Explanation.-In the case of any educdional institution, hospital, nunsing home or ho'stel, "domestic purposes" shall include the prr- . goses for which water is used for carrying on the work pertaining:to such educational institution, hospital, nursing home or hostel ; I , (e) '(Government " means the State Government; (f); " groundwater " means the water which exist8 below the surface of the ground ; (g) "scheduled area" means the whole of the City o: and the villages spccifiet? in the Schedule ; (h) " sink " with all its grammatical varhtions and cognate expressions jncludes digging, drilling, boring or deepenifig ; (i) "well" means a well sunk for the purpose of searching or ex~ractinggroundwater and includes an open well, dug well, bore- well, dug--cum-bore well, tube well, filter point d' any contrivance which whcrl installed, could be utilised for extracting groundwater. 3. Grmt of pe13init to sink well' in the scheduled area-(1) Not withstanding anything contained i.11 any law for the time being in force, no person :;hail sink a well in the scheduled area unless he has obtained a permit in this behalf from the Competent authority. (2) Any person desiring to sink a well in the scheduled area shall apply to the competent authority for the grant of a permit for Glis purpose and shall not proceed with any activity connected with 57~ch sinking unless a permid has been granted by the competent authority. 139. TAMIL NADU (XVEWJMENT GruETTE I;><~K~ortui~vnrtr --- ---- - - -- m..2'4 /q7 C~O-S-~V(31 Every application made under sub-section (2) shall be in such fo a d co tain ~~ch~ic&~~~r~x,~&escrjbedd,dd~f & ar.z"r~J%Buu,Pr n. u rul~M*Y~ p+ * (4) On receipt of an application ur,der sub-section (2), if tbe competcnt authority is satisfied that it shall be in the public interest so to do, it may- (a) grant, subject to such terms, condit;ons and restrictions as may be specified, a permit authorising the sinking of well; or (b) refuse to grant a permit : Provided that no permit shall be refused unless the applicant I has been given an oppoi-tunity of being heard. I (5) The decision regarding the grant or refusal to gra~lt the permit shall be intimated by the competent authority to the appfi- cant within such period as may be prescribed. (61 In granting or refusing to grant permit under sub-section (4); the competent authority shall have regard lo the following matters, namely :- (a) the purpose or purposes for which the well is to je sunk ; (b) the existence of other competitive users ; (c, the existence of other wells in the locality ; (d) the availab'dity of groundwater : f (el such other matter as may be prescribed. (7) The permit shall be in such form as may be prescribed. 4. Registrution of existing wells nnd use of grour~dt~/~aterin sche- duled area.-(1) The competent authority shdl, within such time as may be prescribed, prepare and maintain a register showing- (a) the number of wells that were in existence in the sche- duled area ; and (b) the use of groundwate.r in the schcd.ult.d arca ;'or a@- mItura\ purpscs. immediately before the date of commencement of this Act. (2) Every register prepared and maintained under sub-section (I)! shall contain the following particulars, namely :-. (i) the type of well and its exact location ; (ii the device used for lifting the groundwater ; r--- - F (iii) the date from which the groundwater is being used ; 4 L (iv) the purpose or purposes for which the groundwater is . being used ; (v) tht quantity of groundtvater utiEs2d ; (vi) the extent, location and the sur-.ey number of the area where ground water is used %r agricultural purposes ; (vii) such other. matter as may be prescribed. (3, Toe comvten; acitafAy shiG as scan 'smu). be. after tha 111eparati011 of the register under sub-section (1) and in eny care not , later than such time a:; may be prescribed, cause to be published in such manner as iilay be prescribed,- (i) in the case of reveriue village specified in the %hedule, at convenient places in the revenue village itself ; and (ii) in relation to other areas,' at such places as may be' prescribed ; .O an extract from the said register in so far as the entries in the said register relate to the revenue village or to other area concerned. 1 in time. (b) Upon receipt of an application under clause (a), the com- pelcnt authority shall after making such cnqrjir!i as hc may deem fit, include or refuse to include or modify or refuse to modify the particulars relating to such land ih the register. (5) The competent authority shall, upon application made by the owner or the occupier of the land concerned furnish an extract relating to hls !and in respect of which entrks have been made in the I**.* & l;u '?.!MIL NADU COVERNMENT GAZF'I TE EXTRAORDINARY 5- --- - ----- - -- 5. Licence for extraciion, use or transport of groun&,vater.--(1.1 , Notwithstanding anything contbined in any law for the time being i'n force and subject to the provisions of sub-sections (2) to ('7), on and from the date of commencement of this Act,- (a) no person shall axtract or use groundwatcr in the sche- duled area for any purpose other than domestic purposes ; (b) no person shall transport groundwater by means of any lorry, trailer or any other goods vehicle. (2) .If any person desires to-- (i) extract or use groundwater in the scheduled area for any purpose other than domestic purposes; or (ii) transport groundwater by means of any lorry, trailer or any other goods vehicle, then, he shall make an application to the competent authori7y for the grant of cl. licence for such extraction, use or trans- # .. port, (.3J Every application under sub-section (2) shall be made in so to do, it may- ? (a) grant, on payment of such fees as may be prescribed C and subject to such terms, conditions afid restrictions as may be , specified, a licence authorising-- !- i w (i) the -extraction or use of groundwater for any purpose @.