Groundwater Depletion and Water Crisis in Delhi

Abstract

Groundwater governance entails synergetic acts of political, legal social, economic and administrative systems, which equitably and efficiently distribute and manage the resource. It involves the formulation, establishment and implementation of water legislation and policies and creation of institutional framework for water administration. It emphasises the need for clarification of the roles and responsibilities of the government, civil society and private sector. Delhi has complex governance structure due to the simultaneous presence of the Union as well as state government agencies. The complexity of the situation is further compounded with the expansion of the Delhi as National Capital Region and the 1,400 odd square kilometres of the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi. This article deals with the later. It is an attempt to understand and analyse the evolving legal regime on groundwater, the policy framework and institutional structure, as well as the role of courts to manage and regulate the groundwater situation in the city of Delhi. The article has highlighted that the rapid depletion of groundwater in Delhi is the fundamental reason for water scarcity in the city despite efforts of multiple agencies, existence of model bills, acts and regulations for the management of groundwater. For a highly urbanised city like Delhi, we need to think about incentives to discourage people from abstracting groundwater. There are no easy answers to these questions any more than the efforts to find solutions and effectively implement them to overcome the water crisis. This article is a modest attempt to find reasons for water crisis in the NCT of Delhi.