CGWA NOC for Ground Water Extraction — Guidelines 2020 and the NOCAP Process
What the CGWA NOC is, and who needs it
The Central Ground Water Authority, constituted under section 3(3) of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, regulates ground water extraction by industries, mining and infrastructure projects. Its pan-India guidelines notified on 24 September 2020, and amended on 29 March 2023, require a No Objection Certificate before ground water is drawn for industrial, commercial, infrastructure or mining use, and levy ground water abstraction charges that rise with the quantity drawn and the stress on the local aquifer. Applications are made online on the NOCAP portal. In states that have their own ground water regulation the state authority issues the NOC under the same principles; elsewhere, including Rajasthan, CGWA issues it.
The guidelines also fix conditions that go with the NOC: a digital water flow meter on every abstraction structure, rainwater harvesting or recharge on the premises, piezometers for large users, recycling of treated water, and annual water audits for heavy users. Extraction without an NOC invites penalties under the Environment (Protection) Act and environmental compensation, and the Pollution Control Board now asks for the ground water NOC when granting Consent to Operate.
You need an NOC if you draw ground water for
- •Industry: any manufacturing unit using a borewell or tubewell for process, cooling, boiler or domestic use above the exemption limit
- •Infrastructure: hotels, hospitals, malls, housing projects, schools, IT parks, bus and rail depots, airports
- •Mining and dewatering: mines, quarries and construction sites pumping out ground water
- •Bulk water supply: tanker operators and packaged drinking water or beverage units
- •Commercial establishments, dairies, cold storages and food processing units above the exemption limit
Area categories, conditions and what CGWA examines
| Item | Rule under the guidelines | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Area category | Blocks are assessed as safe, semi-critical, critical or over-exploited by the Central Ground Water Board with the states | The category sets the charge and the restrictions |
| Over-exploited areas | New industries and projects using large quantities are restricted; permission mainly for drinking and domestic needs and for existing units with recharge | Site selection matters most here |
| Flow meter | Tamper-proof digital water flow meter on every abstraction structure, with monthly readings reported | Mandatory condition |
| Piezometer | Required for larger users (as prescribed by quantity) to monitor water levels | Installed on the premises |
| Rainwater harvesting / recharge | Mandatory on the premises, designed to the roof and paved area | CGWA formats |
| Water audit | Annual water audit by an accredited auditor for heavy users; recycling of treated water | Reports uploaded on NOCAP |
| Ground water abstraction charges | Per cubic metre per day, by area category and quantity slab; higher for packaged water and beverages, lower for mining dewatering | Paid in advance for the NOC period |
Documents required for CGWA NOC
Applicant and land
- •Constitution documents, PAN, GST, Udyam (for MSME exemption or category)
- •Land ownership or lease documents, allotment letter (RIICO / industrial area)
- •Site plan showing borewells, recharge structures and plant layout
- •Google Earth / KML of the premises with coordinates
Water requirement
- •Water requirement calculation: process, cooling, boiler, domestic, gardening
- •Existing borewell details: depth, yield, pump capacity, year of construction
- •Proposed abstraction structures and quantity in m³/day
- •Recycling and reuse plan for treated waste water
- •Rainwater harvesting / recharge design with quantities
Compliance and linked permissions
- •Consent to Establish / Operate from the State Pollution Control Board
- •Environmental Clearance, where applicable
- •Undertaking on flow meter, piezometer and monthly reporting
- •Previous NOC and compliance reports (for renewal)
NOC process on NOCAP
- 1Week 1 — Applicability: exemption test (use, quantity, MSME status), area category of the block from the latest assessment, and an estimate of abstraction charges.
- 2Week 1–3 — Technical file: water requirement worked out, borewell inventory, recharge structures designed, flow-meter and piezometer specifications, site plan and KML prepared.
- 3Week 3 — Filing on NOCAP with documents; application fee paid; the case goes to the regional office of CGWA (or the state authority).
- 4Week 4–12 — Scrutiny and queries: CGWA may seek clarifications or an inspection; replies and revised drawings filed.
- 5Week 8–16 — Grant: NOC issued with the sanctioned quantity, validity period, charges payable and conditions; charges paid and the certificate downloaded.
- 6Ongoing — Monthly abstraction readings uploaded, recharge structures maintained, annual water audit where applicable, renewal applied for before expiry, and fresh NOC for any increase in quantity.
Charges, validity and penalties
| Item | Amount / period | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | Nominal fee on NOCAP | At actuals |
| Ground water abstraction charges | Per m³/day by area category and quantity slab; for general industry they start at ₹1 in safe areas and rise to about ₹20 in over-exploited areas for the largest slab; packaged water and beverage units pay several times more; mining dewatering pays less | Structure published by the Ministry when the online system was introduced; NOCAP computes the current amount for your block and quantity |
| Domestic / infrastructure users | Small monthly slabs exempt; nominal per-m³ charge above | Government supply agencies at a concessional rate |
| BookMyCA professional fee | Fixed fee for the NOC, including the recharge design | Renewals quoted separately |
| Validity | Granted for a fixed term (typically two to five years depending on the category and whether the unit is new or existing); renewable on NOCAP | Increase in quantity needs a fresh NOC |
| Timeline | 60–120 days | Faster for small, safe-area applications |
| Penalty | Monetary penalties under section 15 of the Environment (Protection) Act (as amended by the Jan Vishwas Act, 2023), environmental compensation, sealing of borewells and denial of CTO | Extraction without NOC |
Worked example: a food-processing unit in Bhiwadi and a small unit in Jaipur
A snack manufacturer in an industrial area needs 85 m³ a day from two borewells for process and cleaning. The block is semi-critical, so the abstraction charge is higher than in a safe block but the NOC is available with conditions. We work out the requirement by use, design a recharge pit and rooftop harvesting for the 4,000 sq m roof, specify digital flow meters on both borewells, and file on NOCAP with the RIICO allotment letter and the CTE from RSPCB. After one query on the recharge capacity the NOC is issued with the quantity sanctioned, charges paid in advance for the period, and monthly readings uploaded from the first month. A small packaging unit in Jaipur drawing 6 m³ a day, registered as a micro enterprise, is exempt from the NOC altogether and only installs a meter and recharge as good practice.
Mistakes to avoid
- •Drilling the borewell first and applying later; in critical and over-exploited blocks the NOC may be refused
- •Declaring a quantity below actual use; the flow-meter readings are reconciled and the shortfall charged with penalty
- •No rainwater harvesting on the premises, which is a standard condition and a common reason for queries
- •Assuming the state PCB consent covers ground water; it does not, and RSPCB asks for the CGWA NOC
- •Letting the NOC expire; renewal must be applied for before the end of the validity
Frequently asked questions on CGWA NOC
Industries, infrastructure projects, mining and dewatering operations, bulk water suppliers, packaged water and beverage units and commercial establishments that draw ground water above the exemption limits under the 2020 guidelines.
Micro and small enterprises drawing less than 10 cubic metres a day are exempt from the NOC. Above that, or for medium enterprises, an NOC is required.
No. Agriculture, individual domestic users with a delivery pipe of one inch or less, non-energised extraction and government drinking-water agencies are exempt.
Per cubic metre per day, based on the category of the block (safe, semi-critical, critical, over-exploited), the quantity slab and the type of use. NOCAP computes the amount; packaged water and beverage units pay the highest rates.
CGWA through NOCAP, as Rajasthan does not have a separately notified ground water regulatory authority for this purpose. States such as Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Maharashtra and Gujarat issue NOCs through their own authorities.
For a fixed term set in the NOC, typically two to five years depending on the category and whether the unit is new or existing, and renewable on NOCAP before expiry.
A digital flow meter on each borewell with monthly reporting, rainwater harvesting or recharge on the premises, piezometers for larger users, recycling of treated water and, for heavy users, an annual water audit.
Monetary penalties under the Environment (Protection) Act, environmental compensation assessed by CGWA, sealing of the borewell and refusal of Consent to Operate by the Pollution Control Board.