The Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA), which was constituted by the GOI under Section 3(3) of the Environment (Protection) Act (EPA) of 1986, has been formed in accordance with the Order of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India. CGWA authority, a subordinate office of the Ministry of Water Resources, GOI, is the National Apex Agency with the responsibility of providing CGWA NOC along with scientific inputs for the management, exploration, monitoring, assessment and regulation of groundwater resources of the country. The CGWA authority has been vested with the following powers.
- The authority can exercise powers under Sec 5 of the Environment (P) Act, 1986, for issuing directions and taking measures in respect of all the matters related to sub-section 3 of the said Act.
- To punish under penal provisions contained in Sections 15 to 21 of the said Act.
- To regulate and control the management and development of groundwater in the country and issue necessary directions for the purpose.
- Exercise powers under Sec 4 of the Environment (P) Act, 1986[1], for the appointment of officers.
Who Has The Authority To Issue CGWA NOC?
The authority to issue NOC for various uses is vested with District Magistrates /Deputy commissioners, State Ground Water Authority/ State Nodal Agency and Central Ground Water Authority based on the category of the groundwater assessment units and quantum of groundwater extraction as mentioned below:
|
Quantum of Ground Water Abstraction |
Authorised Officer/Organisation |
|
|
Safe and semi-critical Assessment units |
Critical and Overexploited Areas |
|
|
Up to 50 m3 / day except for those proposing to tap saline aquifers |
Up to 20 m3 / day except for those proposing to tap saline aquifers |
District Magistrate/ Deputy Commissioner |
|
> 50 – 500 m3 / day Upto 500 m 3 / day for those tapping saline aquifers |
>20–200 m3 / day Upto 200 m 3 / day for those tapping saline aquifers |
State Ground Water Authority/ State Nodal Agency |
|
>500 m3 / day |
>200 m3 / day |
Central Ground Water Authority |
|
All cases about mining and infrastructure dewatering |
Central Ground Water Authority |
|
Compliance and Monitoring Authority
The District Magistrate/ District Collector of each Revenue District will be responsible for monitoring compliance, checking violations and sealing illegal wells, launching prosecution against offenders etc., including grievance redressal related to groundwater. Similarly, a copy of each of the CGWA NOC issued by the Authority/ Authorized Officer in the NOCAP system will automatically be forwarded to the respective DM/ DC for monitoring of compliance. Any violation of the directions of the Central Ground Water Authority and conditions laid down in the NOC will attract legal action under sections 15 to 21 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
Categories of Groundwater Usage That Need CGWA NOC
All the users drawing/proposing to draw groundwater through non-energised means and pumps of up to 2 Horse Power (HP) from a single tubewell in their premises will be exempted from seeking NOC. However, those drawing/ proposing to draw groundwater through pumps of higher HP and/ or through more than one functional tubewell shall be required to seek NOC for groundwater withdrawal. Can be categorised into
- Individual Households
- Infrastructure projects/ industries/ mining projects/ water supply agencies/ others
Note: The households/connections applying for NOC having more than one tube well/ bore well or drawing ground water through pumps of more than 2 HP from a single tube well/ bore well in the premises will be eligible to apply for NOC under the Individual Household Category.
Documents Required CGWA NOC Clearance for Industries
The industries requiring groundwater for mixed-use, i.e. industrial process and drinking & domestic purpose, shall be granted NOC provided where adequate public water supply/ surface water source does not exist.
- Referral letter for new/ expansion industries from statutory bodies, i.e. MoEF&CC, SPCB, SEAC, SLEIAA, BIS, FSSAI etc.
- A valid Consent to Operate issued by the Industry Department/ Pollution Control Board.
- A schematic diagram (Flow Diagram).
- Certificate regarding partial availability of water supply to the industry from the concerned water supply agency.
Note: The Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change (MoEF&CC) or State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) or State Level Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC) or State Level Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SLEIAA) or Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) or Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) or any authority mandated by Central or State Government. The referral letter should mandatorily indicate the actual water requirement for the industry for the specified industrial process.
Documents Required CGWA NOC for Mining
All the existing as well as new mining projects need NOC for mine dewatering from Central Ground Water Authority. Below mentioned are the documents required for NOC clearance
- Referral letters from statutory bodies
- Geotagged mine lease map.
- Document showing ownership/ lease of land.
- A Comprehensive report on groundwater conditions in both core and buffer zone of the area.
Documents Required CGWA NOC Clearance for Infrastructure Projects
New infrastructure projects requiring dewatering during construction activity shall obtain NOC for the same before the commencement of work. The following are the required document.
- Referral letter (consent to establish) from statutory bodies.
- Hydrogeological report on the groundwater situation in the area where infrastructure projects.
Documents Required For CGWA Online Application
- MSME Certificate
- GST certificate
- Company PAN Card
- Aadhar Card
- UID
- Factory Licence
Documents required for CGWA NOC in Fresh Industries
|
SI. No. |
Documents |
Withdrawal Less than 10 KLD |
Withdrawal between 10 to 100 KLD |
Withdrawal more than 100 KLD |
|
1 |
Consent from State Pollution Control Board or letter from MoEF, from State level EIAA or any other letter from statutory agencies. |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
2 |
Affidavit on non-judicial stamp paper of Rs. 10/- by the applicant, confirming inadequate availability of public water supply. |
Yes |
No |
No |
|
Certificate of non or partial availability of water from local body water supply agency in respect of all categories of assessment units. |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
3 |
Groundwater quality report of existing groundwater abstraction structure from NABL accredited laboratory |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
|
4 |
The IAR(Impact Assessment Report) for OCS areas by accredited agencies |
No |
No |
Yes |
|
IAR(Impact assessment Report) with GW modelling for OCS areas by accredited authorities |
No |
No |
Yes |
|
|
IAR(Impact Assessment Report) with GW modelling for Safe areas by accredited authorities |
No |
No |
Yes |
|
|
5 |
Affidavit in case of Drinking or domestic or green belt for industries other than MSME |
Yes |
No |
No |
|
MSME Certificate in case of MSME |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
6 |
Approval from Wetland Authority (If the Project area falls within 500 meters of Wetland zone) |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
7 |
Bharatkosh receipt for depositing Application Fee |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Documents Required For CGWA NOC by Fresh Infrastructure Projects
|
SI. No. |
Documents |
Withdrawal Less than 10 KLD |
Withdrawal between 10 to 100 KLD |
Withdrawal of more than 100 KLD |
||
|
|
For Construction Use |
|||||
|
1 |
Affidavit on non-judicial stamp paper of Rs. 10/- by the applicant, confirming inadequate availability of public water supply. |
Yes |
No |
No |
||
|
2 |
Certificate from a government agency regarding non or partial availability of treated sewage water for constructions within a 10 km radius from the site in the critical and over-exploited areas. |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
||
|
3 |
Bharatkosh receipt for depositing Application Fees |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
||
|
4 |
IAR(Impact Assessment Report) by Accredited Consultant in case of dewatering is involved. |
No |
No |
Yes |
||
|
|
For Drinking and Domestic Use: |
|
||||
|
1 |
Affidavit on non-judicial stamp paper of Rs. 10/- regarding non or partial availability of water from any other source if water is required for construction in safe and semi-critical areas. |
Yes |
No |
No |
||
|
2 |
Certificate of non or partial availability of water from local government water supply agency. |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
||
|
3 |
Groundwater quality report of existing well from NABL accredited laboratories |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
||
|
4 |
Water requirements for drinking and domestic purpose to be computed as per the NBC 2016 standards |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
||
|
5 |
Completion certificate from the concerned agencies for infrastructure projects. |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
||
|
6 |
Installation of STP (For New Projects) |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
||
|
7 |
Approval from Wetland Authority (if the Project area falling within 500 meter of Wetland zone) |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
||
|
8 |
Bharatkosh receipt for depositing Application Fee |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
||
Documents required for CGWA NOC by Mining Projects
|
SI. No. |
Documents |
Withdrawal Less than 10 KLD |
Withdrawal between 10 to 100 KLD |
Withdrawal of more than 100 KLD |
|
Fresh mining |
||||
|
1 |
Approved Mine Plan as per approving authority |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
2 |
Comprehensive hydrogeological report including year wise, bench wise seepage, and Impact Assessment on groundwater conditions. |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
|
3 |
Groundwater quality report of existing well from NABL accredited lab |
No |
No |
No |
|
4 |
Approval from Wetland Authority (in case the Project area falling within 500 meters of Wetland zone area) |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
5 |
Bharatkosh receipt for depositing Application Fee |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Renewal Mining |
||||
|
1 |
Affidavit on compliance of NOC conditions for renewal cases |
Yes |
No |
No |
|
Self Compliance report |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
2 |
Comprehensive hydrogeological report including year-wise, bench-wise seepage, Impact Assessment on groundwater conditions. |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
3 |
Water quality report of mine seepage and existing tubewells/Borewells through NABL /Govt approved lab. |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
4 |
Bharatkosh receipt for depositing Application Fee |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Steps for CGWA NOC Online Registration
- The online registration is simplified by a visit to the CGWA website.
- The industries/ infrastructures for CGWA NOC should submit the entire relevant documents.
- Fill in all the necessary details, including the GSTIN, Company PAN etc.
- The processing fee is calculated based on the type of industry/ infrastructure projects.
- All payments are to be made online through Non –Tax Receipt Portal.
Conclusion
Ground Water Resource Assessment 2020 conducted by the CGWB in collaboration with States/UTs shows that the total groundwater extraction for domestic and industrial purposes accounts for around 11% of total extraction (for all uses) in the country. The primary aim of the CGWA NOC is to only allow the drilling of wells based on the dynamic groundwater situation of the area, availability of alternate water sources, efficient utilisation of water resources, restricting extraction in water-stressed areas and impact of groundwater extraction.
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