CHANDIGARH: Punjab will soon be marking extraction of groundwater for the purpose of construction activities illegal, effectively banning groundwater extraction across the state. The order would be issued in compliance with the direction issued on a PIL by Punjab and Haryana High Court.
The PIL saw the state government notifying its policy for reuse of treated waste water for various urban activities, mainly for construction purposes. The PIL was filed by advocate HC Arora, who informed the bench that the policy for reuse of treated waste water would also be applicable to fire-fighting and gardening activities
The bench was also told that the notification issued by the Local Government Department, had also fixed a five-month timeframe for setting up the infrastructure for transportation of treated water from sewerage treatment plants (STPs) to end-users in towns/cities.
In other areas, where treated waste water was not available, the government would set up infrastructure for the transportation of treated water from STPs to end-users within the coming 2 years. A water metering policy would be implemented within 12 months from the date of notification.