Residents of Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) can now dig borewells without needing permission or paying charges for domestic groundwater extraction. This new exemption comes from the Ministry of Defence (MoD), which recently issued a Gazette notification.
Previously, there was a regulation requiring residents to register their borewells and pay for groundwater extraction beyond a certain limit. The rule stated that residential borewell extraction over 100 liters per day would be charged Rs 3 per kiloliter, while commercial and industrial borewells extracting more than 50 liters per day had a charge of Rs 10 per kiloliter.
The new exemptions apply to individual domestic consumers in both rural and urban areas for drinking and domestic use. Other exempted categories include rural drinking water supply schemes, Armed Forces establishments, Central Armed Police Forces establishments, and agricultural activities.
A senior officer emphasized that Group Housing Societies, Residential Welfare Associations (RWAs), and residential apartments are also exempt from needing a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for groundwater extraction. These exempt categories also do not need to install flow meters on their borewells.
However, commercial establishments and those using water for commercial purposes must still register their existing borewells by completing the application form attached to the Gazette.
Some locals expressed their satisfaction with the decision, stating that the MoD’s move to exempt domestic groundwater use from charges addresses their concerns and benefits the residents of the Cantonment.
