The New Indian Express 30.11.2009
Tough norms for water guzzling units
CHENNAI: Want to set up an industrial unit in the city that could be a ground water guzzler? Better be prepared to set up artificial recharge structures on your premises to avoid surface water runoff. If you don’t, you will not get the licence to run your unit. It is not enough if you merely set up structures for roof water harvesting. The idea is to harvest every drop of rain water that falls on your premises.
Before you set up a water intensive unit, you need to enter into an agreement with the State Ground and Surface Water Resources Data Centre for permission to use ground water. The permission will be granted only if the artificial recharge structures for surface water are in place.
Speaking to Express, an official source from the department confirmed the new procedure. In the past, though it was mandatory for such industries to build water harvesting structures, there was no clear provision on the surface water; the norms were specific to rooftop harvesting alone. As a result, a substantial quantity of surface water was wasted.
This year alone, 17 water-intensive industries, such as distilleries and packaged water industries, sought certification from the centre.
“These units need a ground water availability certificate. Before issuing it, we check the ground water aquifer to find out if it has enough volume to meet the industry’s demands. If we are satisfied with the availability, the executive engineer of the Ground Water Division enters into an agreement with the industry, specifying the norms for groundwater usage and inspection. From now on, the agreement can be drawn up only after the artificial recharge structures are constructed,” explained the official.
However, the new norm does not apply to existing water intensive units.
