(1) This Act may be called the 2Telangana Water, Land and Trees Act, 2002.
(2) It extends to the whole of the State of 2Telangana.
(3) It shall come into force on such date as the State Government may, by notification, appoint.
2. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,-
(1) ‘Authority’ means the 2Telangana State Water, Land and Trees Authority constituted under section 3;
(2) ‘Designated Officer’ means an officer or any person so designated by the Authority to perform the functions, under the Act;
(3) ‘Government’ means the State Government of 2Telangana;
(4) ‘Ground water’ means water existing in an aquifer below the surface of the ground at any particular location of
1. The Andhra Pradesh Water, Land and Trees Act, 2002 received the assent of the Governor on the 18th April, 2002. The said Act in force in the combined State, as on 02.06.2014, has been adapted to the State of Telangana, under section 101 of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 (Central Act 6 of 2014) vide. the Notification issued in G.O.Ms.No.18, Panchayat Raj & Rural Development (RD.II) Department, dated 31.01.2015.
2. Substituted by G.O.Ms.No.18, Panchayat Raj & Rural Development (RD.II) Department, dated 31.01.2015.
Short title, extent and commencement.
Definitions.
2 [Act No.10 of 2002] the local area regardless of the geological structure in which it is stationery or moving and includes all ground water reservoirs;
(5) ‘Ground water basin’ means an area confined within such geological boundaries which will act as water divides and identified and notified by the Authority;
(6) ‘Industry’ means an activity wherein goods are produced by physical or chemical processes;
(7) ‘Landscape’ includes all forms of trees, shrubs, grasses planted and water bodies to enhance aesthetic value;
(8) ‘Notification’ means a notification published in the 3Telangana Gazette and the word ‘notified’ shall be construed accordingly;
(9) ‘Over exploited basin’ means a ground water basin so declared by the Authority on the advice of the technical expert who duly consider the quantum and pattern of rainfall, degree of extraction of ground water and any other relevant factor while advising the Authority;
(10) ‘Prescribed’ means prescribed by rules made under this Act;
(11) ‘Preservation of trees’ includes planting of new trees and transplanting trees to other sites, including protection measures such as fence, tree guards etc;
(12) ‘Public drinking water source’ means a well, from which the Government or any local authority or such other
3. Substituted by G.O.Ms.No.18, Panchayat Raj & Rural Development (RD.II) Department, dated 31.01.2015.
[Act No.10 of 2002] 3 authority as the Government may by notification specify, provides water to the public and includes such well or any other drinking water source as may be notified by the Authority;
(13) ‘Public water supply system’ means the structures relating to a public drinking water source, including conveying pipeline, storage reservoir, stand post, cistern, hand pump, power pump and all other materials connected thereto through which water is supplied for drinking purpose;
(14) ‘Sink’ with all its grammatical variations and cognate expressions in relation to a well includes any drilling, boring or digging of a new well or deepening carried out to an existing well;
(15) ‘State’ means the State of 4Telangana;
(16) ‘Surface water’ means water occurring on the land surface in ponds, lakes, streams and rivers;
(17) ‘Technical Officer’ means a subject specialist so designated by the Authority to give advice on technical matters;
(18) ‘To fell a tree’ includes burning, cutting, debarking, girdling and release of harmful chemicals and such other operations which cause damage to any part of the tree;
(19) ‘Tree’ means any woody plant, whose branches spring from and are supported upon a trunk or body and whose trunk or body is not less than 5.5 cm. in diameter and is not less than one metre in height from the ground level
4. Substituted by G.O.Ms.No.18, Panchayat Raj & Rural Development (RD.II) Department, dated 31.01.2015.
4 [Act No.10 of 2002] and includes young saplings and seedlings etc., which are planted at sites;
(20) ‘Urban Area’ means a development area declared as such under the 5Telangana Urban Areas (Development) Act, 1975 or a Municipal Corporation constituted under the 6Telangana Municipal Corporations Act, 1994 or the 7Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation Act, 1955 or a Municipality or a notified area committee constituted under the 8Telangana Municipalities Act, 1965 and includes such town or village or area declared to be an Urban area for the purpose of this Act, by a notification, by the Government;
(21) ‘Water shed’ means an area confined within the topographic water divide line as identified and notified by the authority from time to time for the purposes of this Act;
(22) ‘Well’ means a well sunk for the search and extraction of ground water and includes a dug well, bore well, dug-cum-bore well, tube well and filter point;
(23) Words and expressions used in this Act, but not defined herein shall have the meanings assigned to them in the relevant Acts.
5. Adapted by G.O.Ms.No.148, Municipal Administration & Urban Development (M1) Department, dated 31.10.2015.
6. Adapted by G.O.Ms.No.143, Municipal Administration & Urban Development (A2) Department, dated 29.10.2015.
7. Adapted by Act No.13 of 2008.
8. Adapted by G.O.Ms.No.142, Municipal Administration & Urban Development (A2) Department, dated 29.10.2015.
[Act No.10 of 2002] 5
CHAPTER - 2 CONSTITUTION OF 9TELANGANA WATER, LAND AND TREES AUTHORITY