It is good to see this week that the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has acknowledged the non-existent or vacuous groundwater governance in India at both central and state levels. It was long overdue. It took the judiciary almost three decades to realise this, since the Supreme Court order in late 1990s for setting up Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) under the 1986 Environment Protection Act.
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DRP 270426: Probe into violations by Pune River Front Development Project
(Feature Image: Pune RFD work along Mula Mutha river. Credit: Free Press Journal)
The Maharashtra government order for a probe into the violations of the Environmental Clearance of the controversial Pune River Front Development (RFD) project is noteworthy for a number of aspects. Most importantly, it signifies a significant gain for the critiques of the project, since the probe has been ordered following a letter by environmentalist Sarang Yadwadkar, who has been relentlessly fighting against the project.
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DRP 200426: Himachal HC takes cognizance of impact of Hydro Project silt flushing on rivers
(Feature Image: Pandoh dam discharging silt laden flood waters in Beas river in Aug. 2025. Source: Amar Ujala)
In a remarkable development, the Himachal High Court has taken cognizance of the impact of silt flushing from the Shanan Hydropower project in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh on the downstream fish, has fined the project Rs 12 lakhs and has ordered scientific monitoring of the future sediment discharge, only to be done after March 1 each year. The order is largely due to the fact that under the Himachal Pradesh Fisheries Act, Nov to Feb is trout breeding season. The order thus is not likely to be applicable for silt flushing by other hydropower projects. It is also good to see that the court has formed a monitoring committee and asked for compliance reports.
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DRP 130426: CAG Reveals Governance Failure in J&K Wetlands Management
(Feature Image: Cover page of CAG report on Wetlands management in J&K)
The Comptroller and Auditor General of India report is revealing official document on how systemic governance failure has failed the wetlands in Jammu and Kashmir. The fact that 518 out of 697 lakes have shrunk or disappeared, reflects on decades of ineffective policies. As per the report, the multiple departments operated in isolation with no accountability, no shared database and no management plans thus making the wetlands vulnerable to encroachment.
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Chhatradi: Thirty-Six Spring Fountains of the Ravi
“If you really want to see Panihars, you should visit Chhatradi” says the shy Aditya. He is 15 years old and studies in class X. We are standing on a busy and dusty bridge across a tributary of Ravi in Chamba, Himachal Pradesh. Beside us is the legendary Fulmutala spring fountain (Panihar). Hundreds of people come here every evening to collect cool and clear drinking water. Most have piped water supply in their homes but insist that waters of Fulmutala are peerless. Spring Fountains are a way of life in the Ravi Basin. And yet, very little is said about these beautiful places bringing together groundwater, rivers, ecology and culture.
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Yamuna Manthan 0426: Will Govts Ensure Survival of Chambal River Sanctuary?
(Feature Image: Index map of Parbati-Kalisindh-Chambal River Interlinking Project. Souce: NWDA)
Two critical developments over the past month have once again highlighted the scale of threats undermining the ecological integrity of the Chambal, the largest tributary of the Yamuna. The rich aquatic life in the Chambal Sanctuary has already been adversely affected by the gradual decline in river flows and unabated illegal sand mining.
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DRP 6 April 2026: CAG Report on DJB indicates fundamental issues
(Feature Image: Sewer line cleaning work by DJB in North West Delhi’s Sanjay Colony. Credit: Bhim Singh Rawat/SANDRP)
The Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India Audit of Delhi Jal Board (DJB) for 2017-2022 highlights the fundamental issues facing Urban Water Sector in India. Unfortunately, CAG stops short of reaching the conclusion that lack of National Urban Water Policy and lack of accountable governance are the fundamental issues also plaguing DJB like other Urban Water Bodies in India.
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Urban Groundwater: NGT’s Struggle to Improve Governance in 2025
(Feature Image: Entry gate of NGT’s principal bench in New Delhi: Source: Bar & Bench)
This overview looks at how the judiciary particularly; the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has tried to address the urban groundwater depletion and governance crisis during 2025. Cases from Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad and other cities indicate a common problem of weak regulation, poor coordination among concerned agencies and slow enforcement of court orders, allowing illegal groundwater extraction to continue. Many cases have been going on for years without clear results.
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Groundwater in India: Judiciary Failing to Resolve Governance Crisis in 2025?
(Feature Image: Illustration on deepening groundwater levels in India by Binay, Source: IWP)
This overview tracks the major judicial interventions concerning groundwater conservation and management in India during 2025, highlighting persistent failure to address the gaps in governance. The Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) have been criticized for no real action, inadequate data, weak transparency and poor enforcement. The inefficiency of state-level groundwater authorities reflects a deeper systemic failure.
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Groundwater: Govts Actions to Recharge, Regulate in 2025 in India
(Feature Image: Principal Aquifer Map of India. Credit: CGWB’s Annual Ground Water Quality Report 2025, Figure 02, Page 09)
This overview highlights the top ten measures undertaken by various governments to protect groundwater in India in 2025. At the central level, the Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS) has a master plan for artificial recharge, targeting the construction of 1.42 crore structures. As per MoJS, 21 states and UTs have adopted Model Groundwater Management Bill 2020. The MoJS is also piloting pressurized irrigation systems and water accounting technologies to improve efficiency, especially in agriculture, which consumes 87% of extracted groundwater.
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