All private water tankers in the City will henceforth have to mandatorily mention the source of water in their trade licence.

As part of the drive to keep a tab on private tankers supplying water, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has directed all the private water suppliers to obtain licences from competent authorities. Private tankers have also been asked to make sure that they have the registration certificate and permit issued by the Regional Transport Authority.

Only 50 of the 1.72 lakh borewells in City registered with KGA

Two months have passed since the State government issued a notification, making registration of all borewells and permission for sinking of new borewells mandatory in the State. However, so far only 25 drilling agencies in the State and just over 80 households in the City have registered with the Karnataka Groundwater Authority (KGA). The government notification called for compulsory registration under the Karnataka Groundwater (Regulation and Control of Development and Management) Act, 2011, wherein every existing user of groundwater in the notified area has to register within a period of 120 days from December 3, 2012.

The Vellore unit of the Tamizhaga Vivasayigal Sangam (TVS) has appealed to the government of India to roll back the Central Ground Water Regulation Bill.

In a protest organised on Monday by the members of the TVS, led by its district secretary C K Dhanapal, the farmers said classification of ground water extraction regions should not be applied for farming activities. The sangam demanded waiving of all farm loans availed of by the farmers from any banking institutions without imposing any conditions.

Exclusive jurisdiction of states over water hinders its proper management.

New Delhi: It’s not just groundwater regulations that the Centre is looking at changing.

New Delhi: Groundwater, a precious natural resource, is for all practical purposes private property in India. Anyone can bore and extract water with few rules to restrict over-exploitation.

The Karnataka Government plans to regulate reckless ground-water exploitation by bringing private water suppliers under the trade licence ambit.

The revised draft of the National Water Policy has been published online by the water resources ministry for submission of public comments through the ministry’s website and e-mail.