Chandigarh, Oct. 2 -- The Punjab and Haryana high court on Thursday said that the situation of groundwater availability in Gurugram is "grim and needs immediate attention". The remarks came after the HC was apprised that water levels in various areas of Gurugram are nearly 40 metres below the surface-a fact also acknowledged by an officer of the Haryana Water Resource Authority, Panchkula. Furthermore, a Central Ground Water Board report reveals that the annual extractable ground water resource is twice the available resource in Gurugram. "We expect the authorities to examine the issues threadbare and to suggest appropriate measures that would ameliorate the worsening situation of groundwater in Gurugram. It is to be kept in mind that the present generation is only a trustee for the future, and if we lose natural resources like groundwater, the way it is happening now, future generations would have to face disastrous consequences," the bench of justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and justice Rohit Kapoor observed while asking the authorities to convene a meeting on Monday of all stakeholders and chalk out a strategy to deal with the issue. The court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed iqn 2008 highlighting depleting water level of groundwater in Gurugram. On September 22, the HC had directed all top concerned officers to remain present through video-conferencing for the October 1 hearing while observing that indiscriminate use of borewells has resulted in a continuous depletion of groundwater levels over several decades. Further, the existing natural water bodies have substantially diminished, while the channels that sustained these water bodies remain largely blocked, it observed, taking note of various reports filed before the court. During the hearing on Thursday, the officers had tried to apprise the court of steps being taken to revive ponds, steps taken in urban areas to increase water discharge into the ground and strengthening storm water infrastructure. However, the petitioner's counsel, Nivedita Sharma, had countered their claims and termed them "hollow". "The situation is rather grim and needs immediate attention of all stake holders. Instead of passing any further orders in the matter, we deem it appropriate to direct PC Meena, IAS, chief executive officer, Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) to convene a meeting on October 5, 2026 at 11am," the court said....