CGWA suggests one basement

Building basements has greater environmental consequences than any other concrete structure.

With an estimated 5,00,000 flats under construction in Noida and Greater Noida, the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) has recommended that only one basement be allowed for any future work. One basement is up to three metre below ground level.

The CGWA has made this recommendation in a report of inspection of various builders’ projects in Noida to see if they are exploiting groundwater for construction work. Most of the projects inspected have various towers of flats with one to three basements.

In another report filed earlier by a court commissioner, it was stated that groundwater was being extracted for basement construction in a particular project, but the same was being led into drains. “Construction of one basement is allowed for future infrastructure development so that de-watering of groundwater is prevented,” the CGWA said.

The CGWA also recommended that drinking and domestic water requirement of all present and proposed residential and commercial complexes be provided by the Noida/Greater Noida/Yamuna Expressway authorities and that no individual builder/society be allowed to sink their own tube well.

The inspection was done on the orders of the National Green Tribunal by a team constituted by it.

The tribunal is hearing a petition filed by environment activist Vikrant Tongad highlighting how builders in the NCR are exploiting groundwater. The inspection team found that some of the builders had one or more tube wells on their project site, but they claimed that those were for domestic purposes.

The CGWA has made the recommendation in a report of inspection of various builders’ projects