Water crisis in Raj Nagar Extension
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Water crisis in Raj Nagar Extension

The use of groundwater for constructing society is causing groundwater level depletion

Water crisis in Raj Nagar Extension

Ghaziabad: Constructed in 2010, Raj Nagar extension is a posh area in Ghaziabad district. At the time of construction, the ground level water was about 80ft down. However, it has been continuously dipping, and the current level of water is about 450ft below the surface. The use of groundwater for construction in society is one of the major reasons for ground-level water depletion. In addition, continuous construction is causing land pollution which is in turn polluting the water.

Groundwater has severely dipped

CitySpidey visited a society named ‘Banke Bihari Sharnam’ to know more about the water crisis.

Though the residents were happy with the supply of water, they were concerned about the quality of water. One of the residents, Sandhya said, “ I am happy with all the facilities here, but the excess amount of chlorine in water is causing hair fall”. The maintenance in-charge Manish Kumar Sharma said, “Our society uses Sewage Treatment Plan (STP) and Rainwater harvesting for garden and park supplies.” On supply of water he said, “We use submersible pumps for water supply because we do not have any other option”.

As gathered by residents, the land is already supplying water to about 3 lakh people, and using the groundwater for construction is a huge burden on the ground water.

Construction work in the society is causing land and water pollution

We reached out to Jal Nigam and asked them about the water supply. An official who wishes to remain anonymous said, “Raj Nagar Extension is a private colony. Jal Nigam can only do projects in such localities after getting the approval from Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA), Nagar Nigam and Municipalities”. On being asked about any initiation done by Jal Nigam to improve the water crisis, he said, “We are in the initial stage of ground water quality survey. Currently we are collecting data on water requirements. This is a big project and such projects take time to complete.” He further added that the said projects need sanction and approvals before initiation and that is why it is taking time.

The National Green Tribunal has time and again appealed to stop the use of submersible pumps to maintain the ecological balance. However, such issues continue to surface. The social workers based near Raj Nagar extension have also appealed for additional water supply so that groundwater level can be maintained.