Explanation:

The state government of Punjab has issues directives in order to promote sustainable use of groundwater which has been under tremendous pressure due to indiscriminate use.

Groundwater extraction by industries and other establishments will be metered and charged, and anyone with an existing borewell or anyone digging afresh will have to take permission from Punjab Water Regulation and Development Authority (PWRDA).

Punjab Water Regulation and Development Authority, was set up by the previous government in June 2019, and had formulated a policy to levy charges on usage of underground water. However, the government was not able to notify it. Now, the current government in Punjab has notified the policy.

According to the directions, the extraction of groundwater by any method or technology, and known by any nomenclature such as open well, dug well, bore well, dug-cum-bore well, tube well, step well, filter point, collector well, artesian well, spring, infiltration gallery, including any machinery, equipment and instruments used for the extraction of groundwater, as well as any combination or variation of such structures; would be charged by the authority.