Industries should find alternative ways for sustenance: NGT
AGENCIES / NEW DELHI
National Green Tribunal has said that the availability of drinking water is the first priority. Industries and authorities concerned should find alternative ways for their sustenance instead of permitting indiscriminate withdrawal of groundwater. A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice A K Goel said that the Precautionary principle, Sustainable Development principle and the Inter-generational equity are part of life.
The panel added that in the absence of replenishment of groundwater, unregulated withdrawal thereof cannot be held to be right of any commercial entity. The bench also said that shortage of availability of water for commercial purposes cannot be remedied by the withdrawal of groundwater in overexploited, critically exploited and semi-critical exploited (OCS) areas. The bench also said that water is a scarce resource and the industry has to put up with such scarcity.
The Bench added that if industries continue to draw groundwater without NOC from Central Ground Water Authority as per current guidelines and orders of this tribunal in OCS areas, the industries will have to face legal consequences.
The tribunal’s observation came while disposing a plea filed by Association of the Industrial Manufactures seeking impleadment in a petition filed by Ghaziabad resident.