Unauthorized extraction of groundwater without mandatory permission in the state would now attract a penalty between Rs 8 and Rs 22 per cubic metre per day.

• The regulation forms part of the draft groundwater guidelines prepared by the Punjab Water Regulatory and Development Authority (PWRDA), inviting public objection by December 17 before the guidelines are notified.
• The guidelines say the PWRDA would give permission in over-exploited zones, subject to stringent water conservation measures or heavy charges.
• Earlier, the Central Ground Water Board (CGBW) had stopped permission for expansion and new units in the over-exploited zones.
• The extraction of groundwater for agriculture, drinking and domestic usage has been exempted from the provisions.
• It has been proposed for volumetric charge of groundwater extraction and based on water meters to be installed by all users.
• To give relief to micro, small and medium enterprises, slab rates have been proposed, with minimal rates for small volumes of groundwater extracted up to 10 cubic metres per day.
• The state has been divided into green, yellow and orange zones. The highest groundwater charges would apply to the orange zone, which is the most water stressed and the lowest charges would be in the green zone.
• Those opting for implementing water conservation measures would be eligible for a water conservation rebate in the charges.
• The gross charges range from a minimum of Rs 4 per cubic metre in green zone for the volume up to 10 cubic metre per day to a maximum of Rs 22 per cubic metre in the orange zone for the volume exceeding 100 cubic metre per day.

Situation of Groundwater in Punjab

The most recent government report on Punjab's groundwater resources notes that groundwater extraction has increased from 149% (of naturally available recharge) in 2013 to 165% in 2018, and the state has maximum percentage of wells showing groundwater depletion among all states in India.

• Sangrur is one of the worst affected by the groundwater crisis in Punjab. It has been classified as a “dark zone”, where water has been over-extracted and fallen below 200 feet.
• In most villages, farmers claim, the water table is between 350 to 500 feet.
• A recent draft report by the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), the central government’s groundwater monitoring agency, has warned of a dystopian future for Punjab.
• At the current rate of extraction of its underground water resources, Punjab will soon be a desert state, as “all available groundwater resources till the depth of 300 meters (about 1000 feet) in the state will dry up in 20 to 25 years.
• According to CGWB, 110 out of the 138 blocks in Punjab are ‘overexploited’ — a category that defines underground water resources as being under great stress, requiring intensive monitoring and evaluation, and with no scope of further groundwater development.