Hon’ble High Court of Calcutta Invites Public Suggestions for Addressing Potable Water Scarcity in the Isles
Sri Vijaya Puram, Sept. 11: Andaman & Nicobar Islands despite receiving about 3100 mm of average annual rainfall frequently faces water shortage due to various reasons including climatic conditions. It leads to public hardship during such shortages. Therefore, Hon’ble High Court Calcutta, Circuit Bench at Sri Vijaya Puram (Port Blair), in WPA(P)/2/2026, Sandeep Singh v. Union of India & Others, vide order dated 03.08.2026 has issued directions to invite public suggestions for addressing potable water scarcity in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Further in accordance with the directions of the Hon’ble High Court, an Expert Committee has also been constituted by the Andaman and Nicobar Administration to examine the issue of potable water scarcity in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and recommend appropriate measures for addressing it.
The Expert Committee comprises representatives and experts from the Andaman and Nicobar Administration, the Geological Survey of India (GSI), the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), the National Institute of Hydrology (NIH), IIT Kharagpur, the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), and the Andaman and Nicobar Pollution Control Committee (ANPCC).
The Hon’ble High Court has also directed that the petitioner and all stakeholders shall be entitled to make necessary and practical suggestions, drawing upon examples from other parts of the world where water scarcity has been successfully addressed.
Hence, suggestions are invited from members of the general public, technical experts, institutions, professionals, researchers, civil society organisations, and other stakeholders on feasible and sustainable measures to address the scarcity of potable water in A&N Islands. The suggestions received will be placed before the Expert Committee for its consideration. Suggestion may be submitted in written or electronic form with clear and concise idea with suitable example if possible along with details address and contact details of person/organisation.
Suggestions and ideas may be sent to the following email addresses within 15 days from the date of publication of this notice Email addresses: ceapwd@and.nic.in, seplgapwd@gmail.com.