Borewell Rules for Bangalore Apartments: Groundwater NOC, Meters and Charges

Karnataka tightened its groundwater law in 2025, and apartment projects that depend on borewells now face permits, meters and charges. This guide explains what the amended law says, how the daily limit works out for a housing society, and what a buyer in Bangalore should ask before booking.

The Law in Brief

Borewells in the state are governed by the Karnataka Ground Water (Regulation and Control of Development and Management) Act, 2011. The Act set up the Karnataka Ground Water Authority, which grants permits and can order meters, inspections and closures. Until 2025, the permit rule applied only in areas the Authority had notified.

An amending Bill was introduced in the Legislative Assembly in 2025 and the amended Act was notified by September 2025. Its stated aims include adopting the Central Ground Water Authority's guidelines and giving effect to the 2025-26 state budget. The amendment widened the permit rule to the whole state and rewrote the list of who is exempt.

What Changed in 2025

Four changes matter to apartment owners and buyers:

• A permit or No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Authority is now needed to drill a well or draw groundwater in notified and non-notified areas alike
• Apartments and group housing societies are exempt only while they draw up to 20 cubic metres a day for drinking and domestic use
• Private tankers that draw groundwater for bulk supply must hold an NOC
• The Authority may levy charges on groundwater drawn for commercial, industrial, mining, infrastructure and bulk supply uses, at rates the government notifies on the basis of the central guidelines

Individual households with a borewell for their own drinking and domestic needs remain exempt from the permit. Farming and rural drinking water schemes are exempt as well.

How Far Does 20 Cubic Metres Go?

Twenty cubic metres is 20,000 litres a day. The usual planning norm for city homes is 135 litres per person per day, so a family of four needs about 540 litres. At that rate, 20,000 litres covers the full daily need of about 37 homes.

The picture changes when a project has more than one supply. A society that takes half its water from the Cauvery network and half from borewells could serve about 74 homes within the limit. A project of several hundred flats that runs mainly on borewells will be well above it and needs an NOC.

What an NOC involves

The NOC records how much water the project may draw and the conditions attached. Central guidelines, which the state law now follows, tie it to metering, regular reporting of the quantity drawn and recharge of rainwater on site. An association should hold the certificate in its own name after handover and track its renewal date.

Meters, Returns and Penalties

The 2011 Act already allowed the Authority to order a water meter on any borewell. If the user fails to fit one within 30 days, the Authority may install it and recover the cost. The same Act lets officials inspect wells, seek records and close an illegal borewell.

The 2025 amendment raised the cost of ignoring these duties. The main penalties are these:

• Up to Rs. 50,000 for refusing to furnish information or returns, or for furnishing false ones
• Up to Rs. 1,000 for each further day the failure continues
• A separate penalty, at notified rates, for drawing water without a valid NOC or against its terms

For an owners' association, these are shared costs. A penalty or a closure order on the borewells lands on every flat through the maintenance bill or through tanker purchases.

What It Means for Maintenance Charges

Groundwater was once close to free for a housing society, apart from pumping power and borewell repairs. A project above the exempt limit now carries added heads of cost:

• Meters on each borewell, with the equipment to report readings
• Extraction charges on the metered quantity, where the notified rates apply to the project
• Fees and consultant costs for obtaining and renewing the NOC
• Upkeep of recharge wells and rainwater harvesting structures

The amounts are modest beside the price of tanker water, yet they recur every month. Projects that reuse treated water for flushing and gardening draw less from the ground and keep these costs down.

Questions to Ask Before Booking

Water supply deserves the same attention as the price and the title. A buyer visiting a project in Bangalore should ask the following:

1. What share of the daily water need comes from the Cauvery network, borewells and tankers?
2. How many borewells are on the site, and what do they yield in summer?
3. Does the project hold a groundwater NOC, and in whose name?
4. Are the borewells metered, and who files the returns?
5. Is treated water from the sewage treatment plant piped to flush tanks and gardens?
6. How large are the rainwater storage and recharge structures?
7. What does the water line in the monthly maintenance bill come to per flat?

In a completed project, the association's accounts answer most of these. In a project under construction, the answers should come in writing from the builder, and the agreement for sale should list the water sources.

Is a BWSSB connection enough?

A sanctioned Cauvery connection reduces the dependence on borewells, yet many large projects still use both. The connection papers and the supply hours are worth checking alongside the groundwater permit.

Points for Existing Owners

Associations in occupied projects should begin with a simple water audit. A month of meter readings shows whether the borewells draw more than 20 cubic metres a day. If they do, the association should apply for the NOC, fit meters and keep a file of returns.

Cutting the draw is often cheaper than paying for it. Fixing leaks, fitting aerators, reusing treated water and recharging rainwater all reduce the quantity taken from the ground. Owners weighing a move to an area with better supply are welcome to write to us through the contact page.