Decline in Delhi groundwater level can lead to water war: SC
New Delhi, May 8: Upset that authorities were not realising the seriousness of the situation, the Supreme Court on Tuesday said the critical decline in groundwater level in Delhi could lead to a "water war" for every drop.
A bench of Justice Madan B. Lokur and Justice Deepak Gupta was shocked that groundwater was "over exploited" and the level had declined to "very critical" stage.
After perusing a report filed by the Central Ground Water Board on depletion of groundwater in Delhi, the court said even the area around President's Estate has very low groundwater level.
"What are we doing? We are not in a position to give water to our President. We can't give water to Birla Madir. The situation (of groundwater level) is over exploited and very critical all over Delhi," the bench said.
Senior advocate Ranjit Kumar, assisting the court as amicus curiae in the case, said due to excess extraction of groundwater, almost 90 per cent of Delhi is in a "critical" situation.
Except central Delhi and some parts of west Delhi -- which came under the safe category in the report -- the groundwater level in the rest of Delhi was over exploited, Kumar added.
The bench said: "We are in a deep rooted trouble. What to do, we are short of water. Can anybody live without water? I don't think anybody is realising the seriousness of the situation."
When Additional Solicitor General N.S. Nadkarni, appearing for the Central government, said the "next world war would be on water", the bench replied: "Forget about world war, Delhi war is going to start soon (on water issue)."
The top court also slammed the authorities concerned for not taking the issue seriously and said there are many problems in Delhi like solid waste management, water issue, unauthorised construction, encroachment, pollution and others.
It said the authorities can't say it will tackle only one issue. "Everybody has to work together, everybody has to sit together to solve the problems. Things are critical," it said, adding that situation will become "irreversible" and in some areas "it has become irreversible".
Mentioning that the report indicated "extremely sad affair" as almost whole of Delhi was in a "critical stage", the bench sought responses from the Ministry of Water Resources, the Delhi government and the Delhi Pollution Control Board on the report.
The court now posted the matter for hearing on May 15.
On the issue of unauthorised construction and encroachment in Delhi, the bench was informed by advocates Ranjit Kumar and A.D.N. Rao that Khan Market and Sanjay Market have been flouting its order.
In Khan Market, all shopkeepers have extended their shops by at least eight feet, and verandas, pavements have been encroached upon, they said, adding that in Sanjay Market, multi-storyed buildings have come up on properties sealed in 2007.
The amicus curiae said the Special Task Force (STF), formed by the Central government to monitor issues relating to unauthorised constructions in Delhi, has not taken any action with regard to these markets but jhuggis on pavements have been removed.
The bench asked the STF to take action on encroachment in Khan Market and Sanjay Market. It also directed that the STF should meet once in a week.
The court has been hearing pleas relating to the validity of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Act, 2006 and subsequent legislation protecting unauthorised construction from being sealed in Delhi.
Earlier, the court halted all construction, not in conformity with building bye laws, in 1,797 unauthorised colonies in Delhi.
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Strict security measures in place in Mumbai for Messi's events at 2 venues Dec 14, say police
Mumbai (PTI): In view of Argentine superstar footballer Lionel Messi's visit to Mumbai on Sunday, the city police are implementing stringent security measures, like not allowing water bottles, metals, coins inside the stadiums and setting up watchtowers to keep an eye on the crowd, officials said.
The police also said taking extra care to avoid any stampede-like situation and to prevent recurrence of the chaotic situation that unfolded in Kolkata during Messi's visit on Saturday as thousands of fans protested inside the Salt Lake stadium here after failing to catch a clear glimpse of the football icon despite paying hefty sums for tickets.
Messi is expected to be present at the Cricket Club of India (Brabourne Stadium) in Mumbai on Sunday for a Padel GOAT Cup event followed by attending a celebrity football match. He is expected to proceed to the Wankhede Stadium for the GOAT India Tour main event around 5 pm.
"In view of Lionel Messi's visit to Mumbai, the police are geared up and have put in place a high level of security arrangements in and around the stadiums located in south Mumbai. Considering the chaos that prevailed in Kolkata and the security breach, we have deployed World Cup-level security arrangements at Brabourne and Wankhede stadiums," an official said.
Expecting heavy crowd near the stadiums during Messi's visit, the city police force has deployed more than 2,000 of its personnel near and around both the venues, he said.
As the Mumbai police have the experience of security 'bandobast' during the victory parade of ICC World Cup-winning Indian team and World Cup final match at the Wankhede Stadium, in which over one lakh cricket fans had gathered, we are prepared to handle a large crowd of fans, he said.
"We are trying to avoid the errors that occurred in the past," the official said.
There is no place to sneak inside the stadiums in Mumbai like the Kolkata stadium, according to him.
The police are also asking the organisers to provide all the required facilities to the fans inside the stadium, so that there will be no chaos, he said, adding the spectators have purchased tickets in the range of Rs 5,000 to 25,000. After paying so much of amount, any spectator expects proper services, while enjoying the event, he said.
The police are expecting 33,000 spectators at the Wankhede Stadium and over 4,000 at Brabourne Stadium. Besides this, more than 30,000 people are expected outside and around the stadiums just to have a glimpse of the football sensation, he said.
The organisers responsible for Messi's India visit recently came to Mumbai to discuss security arrangements. During the meeting, the Mumbai police asked them not to take the event lightly, according to the official.
After those requirements were fulfilled, the final security deployment was chalked out, he said.
Police has the standard procedure of the security arrangements inside the Wankhede Stadium, where people are barred from taking water bottles, metals objects, coins. Police are setting up watch towers near the stadiums and there will be traffic diversions, so that there is maximum space available to stand, according to the official.
Police are also appealing to the spectators to use public transport service for commuting and avoid personal vehicles to reach south Mumbai.
To avoid any stampede-like situation, police are also taking precautionary measures and will stop the fans some distance ahead of the stadium and public announcement systems will be used to guide the crowd. Barricades will be placed at various places to manage the crowd.
In case the crowd swells up beyond expectation, the police will divert people to other grounds and preparations in this regard underway, he said.
Additional police force has been deployed in south Mumbai to tackle any kind of situation, he said.
