Tamil Nadu stiffens norms for housing projects

To tighten control over groundwater extraction and transport in most parts of the State, the Tamil Nadu government has made it mandatory for ongoing and new housing projects with over six flats to obtain no-objection certificates from the PWD’s groundwater wing.

However, the new norm is not applicable to Chennai and 302 villages of Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram districts, which come under the Chennai Metropolitan Area Groundwater (Regulation) Act, 1987.

Furthermore, it is not meant for individual houses and housing projects of up to six flats. An official clarifies that the rule will not cover houses that have been constructed and occupied.

The norm is part of the fresh regulations devised by the government after the Tamil Nadu Groundwater (Development and Management) Act, 2003, was repealed in September last.

Since then, the government had worked on an alternative system. In addition, these regulations are in continuation of what the government prescribed in March 2012, when a ban was imposed even on the formulation of schemes in over-exploited and critical blocks. (Depending on the level of groundwater extraction, all 385 blocks have been brought under the over-exploited, critical, semi-critical, safe and saline/poor quality categories.

The combined strength of the over-exploited and critical categories is 171 blocks. Besides, Chennai district has been regarded as over-exploited.)

The official explains that applications for NOCs have to be sent to the headquarters of the State Ground and Surface Water Resources Data Centre-Chief Engineer’s Office. A fee of Rs. 6,000 has to be paid to get permission for digging a borewell.

Though the submission of applications and clearance will be centralised, field engineers of the groundwater department will inspect the premises of applicants and send their recommendations to the headquarters.

The certificate is required only for other infrastructure projects/buildings, new industrial projects and water-based industrial units in the safe and semi-critical blocks, numbering 203.