The Hindu               05.09.2013

157 illegal bore-wells sealed in Gurgaon

Ashok Kumar

As many as 157 illegal bore-wells and tube-wells in various colonies in Gurgaon have been dismantled and sealed and First Information Reports have been registered against their owners during the past one year. It was revealed in a review meeting called by Deputy Commissioner Shekhar Vidyarthi here on Wednesday.

Mr. Vidyarthi said in compliance of the orders of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, the builders and colonisers, who have obtained licence from the Town and Country Department of Haryana have been directed to arrange for recycled treated sewage water for construction purposes. He said the Haryana Urban Development Authority will keep a record of treated water taken by each builder from its Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) and whether it was sufficient to meet its needs.

He said HUDA and the Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon would provide primary and secondary treated sewage water and the builder have to finally treat it (tertiary treatment) at the construction site before using it for construction . He emphasised that even the supply of water from tanker at construction sites was prohibited because the entire Gurgaon district has been notified by the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA).

At present, 22 teams have been constituted for checking of illegal bore-wells and tube-wells in the district which were directed by Mr. Vidyarthi to submit their reports to him every fortnight. He also reiterated that the teams should ensure that no builder or developer is making use of underground water for construction.

He said if any builder was found using underground water for construction purposes, a contempt of court proceeding would be initiated against him.

According to an estimate, about 150 MLD sewage water was treated daily in Gurgaon.

The Times of India          04.09.2013

Corporation wants Kerala water authority probed for diverting water

KOCHI: The corporation council which met on Tuesday has decided to approach the state government seeking a probe into the allegation that the Kerala water authority (KWA) has been diverting water meant for city residents to Cochin Shipyard and Naval Base.

The issue was raised by councillor K R Premakumar. "Many parts of the city, particularly west Kochi, have been facing acute water shortage due to the diversion of water. The city may not benefit even if the Pazhoor drinking water project, under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, becomes a reality as KWA has made all plans to divert water," he said.

Meanwhile, mayor Tony Chammany said that the issue of water shortage was raised with the minister for water resources P J Joseph recently. He has agreed to constitute a committee under a KWA superintending engineer to look into the matter, Chammany said.

"At the meeting, which was attended by Benny Behanan MLA, the corporation had raised the issue of water scarcity experienced by many parts of the city," he said. Mayor also expressed his hope that when the Pazhoor drinking water project becomes a reality the issue would be addressed completely.

Earlier, the council discussed the financial condition of the local body. Councillors belonging to both the opposition and ruling front criticised the civic administration for postponing the special council meeting, which was scheduled to be held on Wednesday, to discuss the issue.

The mayor said the meeting would now be held on September 23. "The financial standing committee has requested additional time for collecting details. As it was an important matter, the standing committee has said that the issue can be discussed only after furnishing all details," Chammany said.