The Supreme Court examining the issue of pollution in the river systems in Rajasthan has called for a report on the groundwater situation in the industrial towns of Jodhpur, Balotra and Pali over concerns of grave threat to the region’s water security and ecology over continued extraction by industrial units.
In an order passed on October 26, made public recently, the top court directed the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) to provide information by November 27 on the status of groundwater availability, extraction and depletion to assess the continuation of industrial activity in the three towns. The court was hearing a suo motu petition on the pollution in the Jojari-Luni-Bandi river system in the state which serves as a lifeline to nearly 2 million people staying along these rivers. The court directed the Registry of the court to add CGWA as a respondent within a week and kept the matter for further consideration on November 27.
An application filed in these proceedings by Digvijay Singh Jasol, a local resident, requested the court not to permit industrial activity in Balotra, classified as a “dark zone/over-exploited area” since the 1990s due to heavy groundwater extraction without sufficient recharge.
The court formed a special investigation team (SIT) led by an officer of Inspector General rank to undertake a comprehensive probe into the illegal network behind the organised illegal sand mining activities in the three rivers and their tributaries. The court directed the investigation to also identify the persons and entities involved in such activities and the role of public officials in facilitating or enabling such operations.
A report in this regard will be tabled in court before the next date of hearing.
Jasol informed the court that the operation of industrial units and the possible consequences for agriculture underscore the need for a coordinated assessment of the relationship between mining, industrial pollution and the ecological condition of the river systems. The court asked the state to respond to these concerns as it examined other equally disturbing concerns relating to protection of the Jojari-Luni-Bandi river ecosystem, one of them being illegal sand mining. This mechanism was to provide appropriate recording, examination and referral of complaints to the competent authorities for necessary action.
The court directed the Rajasthan government to incorporate an “anonymous” complaint mechanism for reporting instances of illegal sand mining in these rivers as part of an “Integrated Public Reporting and Environmental Grievance Redressal Mechanism” directed to be established by court’s order of August 7 this year.
