KARACHI: The Karachi Water and Sewerage Board has informed the Sindh High Court that a licensing committee has been constituted to review, regulate and monitor the business of subsoil water in the metropolis.
The KWSB in its comments, filed in response to a petition against extraction of subsoil water for commercial purposes, submitted that the committee was recently constituted in pursuance of an order of the Supreme Court issued in December 2018.
Without providing further details, the water utility maintained that in the light of the apex court’s order the Sindh government had issued a notification in September this year after which the KWSB constituted the subsoil water licensing committee vide an order dated Nov 16 to deal with all matters relating to subsoil water for industrial/commercial use.
A two-judge bench headed by Justice Aftab Ahmed Gorar took the statement of the KWSB on record and again issued notices to some private respondents running the businesses of subsoil water for Feb 7.
Over 30 petitioners filed a petition before the SHC stating that extraction of subsoil water for commercial purposes and its supply through waterlines and tankers without obtaining a licence in term of Subsoil Water (Extraction and Consumption) Regulation 2018 were being made in different parts of provincial metropolis.
They further submitted that instead of taking any action against the persons involved in illegal extraction of subsoil water, the KWSB and other official respondents were issuing permissions and no-objection certificates for road cutting to lay subsoil water pipelines and supply of illegally extracted water.
They argued that the extraction of subsoil water and its supply through pipelines to industries was in violation of the apex court’s order that had directed the government to regulate and price the groundwater be it industrial or agriculture use.
Referring to a judgement of the SHC handed down in January this year, the petitioners said the court had held that if the extraction of subsoil water in huge quantity was allowed the same will certainly disturb aquifer and environment of the area concerned. They sought directives for competent authorities to look into the gravity of the situation and take appropriate action.
They pleaded to declare extraction of subsoil water for commercial purposes without obtaining a licence illegal, all NOCs/permissions issued by the respondents in contravention of law be declared unlawful and also sought restraining order against private respondents from extracting subsoil water for commercial purposes and official respondents to take strict action against extraction and supply of such water for commercial purposes.
Published in Dawn, December 25th, 2021