The Nagaland Groundwater (Regulation and Control of Development and Management) Bill 2020, which was passed in the state assembly’s recently concluded session, may not have evoked much enthusiasm or not as expected from the public but it can greatly benefit the people of the state in the long run if implemented well. This bill aims at promoting sustainable groundwater usage in the state by protecting the ecosystem and biological diversity besides regulating and controlling development and management of groundwater resources. It envisages sufficient water for the present as well as future generations through systematic and scientific exploitation of groundwater resources. The state government will come up with a regulatory mechanism to stop uncontrolled extraction of groundwater and execution of such works by drilling agencies sans proper knowledge of the state’s water resources, which will cause bigger crisis in future. The proposed maintenance of data base on groundwater and permit regulation will help keep a balance between natural water recharge and usage. This is a much-needed move to ensure that the future generations don’t suffer from water scarcity and also given the fact that the state has low development of ground water though the quality is said to be generally good.
Considering the gravity of water crisis the state is facing today, especially in urban areas, more measures are needed besides regulating extraction of groundwater to meet its growing requirement. The state’s main source of water like rivers, streams and natural springs are said to be drying up. Experts have cautioned that the reduction of water sources in the catchment areas could affect water supply in the near future. Years of reckless human activities including deforestation have caused irreparable damage to nature. The situation is not going to get better with the population continuing to increase and people flooding urban areas for better opportunities. Global warming has also started showing its ugly face, affecting rainfall patterns, food production and water supplies across the globe. To solve this serious issue, a multi-dimensional approach is required. Besides judicious utilisation of available water sources, measures like preservation of forest cover, rain water harvesting, improved farming practices, etc. should be taken up to solve the water crisis. With concrete surface continuing to expand, preventing the rain water from seeping into the ground at a normal rate, the government should formulate ways to recharge the groundwater. In the meantime, extraction of groundwater through bore wells and other means continues to grow to meet the daily requirements of the people. While this trend can’t be stopped as citizens need water to survive, excessive pumping can lower the groundwater table as well as affect quality, hence the need for regulation of usage. The Nagaland Groundwater (Regulation and Control of Development and Management) Bill is all about this.