Haryana Ground Water Authority

The Haryana Ground Water Authority (Conservation, Regulation and Management) Authority (HWRA) is the statutory body responsible for managing, conserving, and regulating both ground and surface water resources across the state of Haryana. Established under the state act in 2020, the authority aims to curb the rapid depletion of the water table by regulating water distribution and issuing mandatory permissions for groundwater extraction.

Functions & Mandatory NOCs

he HWRA mandates that all commercial, infrastructure, industrial, and mining projects obtain a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to abstract groundwater. You can track applications or log in directly via the official HWRA Portal

·         Mandatory Registration: Required for industries, real estate developers, schools, hospitals, and housing societies.

·         conservation Mandate: Focuses on rainwater harvesting, replenishing overexploited blocks, and optimizing treated wastewater use.

·         Block-Wise Categorization: Regulates water drawal based on local groundwater levels (divided into Safe, Semi-critical, Critical, and Over-exploited blocks).

Ground Water NOC

According to the HWRA FAQ Guidelines, the following categories do not need a formal extraction NOC:

·         Individual Domestic Users: Rural and urban residential drinking/domestic use where a public supply is unavailable

·         Public Supply: Rural drinking water supply schemes run by local authorities.

·         Agriculture: Routine farming and agricultural activities.

·         Defense forces: Establishments belonging to the Armed Forces or Central Armed Police Forces

·         Small Businesses: Micro and Small Enterprises (MSMEs) drawing less than 10 m³ of groundwater per day (though they must still register online)

Benefits of Haryana Water Resources Authority (HWRA) Registration

1.  Legal Authorization for Groundwater Extraction

·         Provides statutory permission to extract groundwater in Haryana.

·         Mandatory for industries, infrastructure projects, commercial buildings, and housing societies.

·         Protects units from penalties, sealing, and legal action.

2. Equitable Distribution

·         It prioritizes fair allocation of water resources among users, minimizing wastage via recycling mandates and micro-irrigation promotion, while regulating extractions to prevent overexploitation in stressed blocks.

3.  Operational Advantages

·         Digital Monitoring: The mandate for IoT-based flow meters with telemetry might seem like a cost, but it provides businesses with real-time data to detect internal leaks and optimize water consumption.

·         Recharge Credits: Industries that implement high-quality Rainwater Harvesting (RWH) can sometimes offset their abstraction charges or fulfill their mandatory "recharge double the amount" condition, turning a compliance cost into a resource asset.

Process of Haryana Water Resources Authority (HWRA) Registration

The Haryana Government notified the Authority's creation in the Official Gazette, specifying the effective date, making it a Body Corporate with perpetual succession headquartered at a designated location.

1.  Applicability Check

·         Assess whether groundwater extraction is proposed.

·         Check project type:

·         Industrial / Commercial

·         Infrastructure / Real Estate

·         Institutional (hospital, hotel, school, etc.)

2.  Technical Review & Site Inspection

·         Site Inspection: An officer (or a CPCB/SPCB representative) may visit your site to verify the location of piezometers (observation wells) and rainwater harvesting structures.

3.  Payment of Security fee & Tariffs

Once the application is "Recommended," you must:

·         Pay Advance Security: Deposit a 90-day advance water tariff based on your applied quantity. This acts as a security deposit.

·         Abstraction Charges: Commit to the quarterly volumetric tariff based on your zone category.

Documents required for HWRA Registration

ü  GST Registration

ü  Aadhar Card + PAN Card of Authorized person

ü  Electricity Bill

ü  Rent Agreement

ü  Site Plan

ü  MSME / Udyog Adhaar

ü  SPCB CTE / CTO

ü  Ground water test report

Non-availability of Municipal water undertaking

In addition to the above stated documents, we would also require following information:

Diameter of boring

HP of pump / motor

Rooftop area in sq. ft

Open area in sq. ft

Paved area

Green area

Conclusion:

The Haryana Water Resources Authority (HWRA) previously operating alongside initial groundwater frameworks Mandates that obtaining an HWRA No Objection Certificate (NOC) is legally required for industries, infrastructure projects, and mining operations extracting groundwater. In corporate compliance assessments by environmental consultancies like MetaCorp, The  highlights that non-compliance leads to severe legal penalties, hefty environmental compensation fines, and the potential sealing of unauthorized Borewells.