Make Household Wastage Of Water Penal Offence: NGT Seeks Factual Report From Centre [Read Order]

With every Indian household, on an average, wasting 5 liters of water every minute and 48420000 cubic metres of water every single day, the National Green Tribunal has called for a factual and action take report from the Centre on a plea for making household wastage of water a penal offence.

A bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice A K Goel called for a factual and action is taken a report in the matter from Ministry of Jal Shakti and the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) within one month.

The Tribunal was hearing a plea filed by Rajendra Tyagi, five-time BJP councillor from Ghaziabad, and NGO Friends through advocate and environment activist Akash Vashishtha.

Vashishtha stressed on the dire need for making habitual household wastage of water through overflowing tanks, flushing, brushing, etc penal offence under Section 3 and 5 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.

"Wastage is taking place by overflowing of overhead tanks in residential and commercial areas... 48420000 cubic metres of water is wasted every single day. Around 163 million population of the country is facing deprivation of fresh, drinkable water at the hands of few others who are almost habitual of wasting and misusing precious fresh potable water. Around 600 million people are facing extreme water stress in the country. Millions of litres of fresh potable water are being wasted in the absence of appropriate regulations or action-plans to curb the same."

The petition also places before the Tribunal some disturbing facts and figures as it claims that flushing systems are also a major cause of fresh potable water wastage in households and commercial complexes, wasting around 15-16 litres of water in a single flush.

The petition also claimed through studies that 1 out of 3 people in India tend to the wastewater by keeping the water running from faucets that discharge as much as 5 litres in a minute, a regular shower flows out 10 litres of water per minute, keeping water running while cleaning dishes wastes 50-60 litres water etc.

The petitioners relied upon Niti Aayog's Composite Water Management Index report according to which 21 cities in India will run out of groundwater by 2020 affecting 100 million people while on the other hand demand for water is expected to grow from 40 billion cubic metres currently to around 220 billion cubic metres in 2025.

Tyagi had sent a representation with the same plea to the Centre in May but did not hear on it.

Vashishtha says it's a now or never situation at a time when "42 percent of the country's area has been facing drought, four times the spatial extent of last year, with 6pc exceptionally dry. Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and parts of NE, which is home to 500 mn population, are worst affected". 

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