This act aims to regulate and control the development of ground water in the Union Territory of Pondicherry. The act deals with the establishment of a ground water authority consisting of a Chairman to be appointed by the Government and five official members of the departments of the Government dealing with survey, exploration, development, management and protection of ground water, to be appointed by the Government. Apart from them there are three non-official members who, in the opinion of the Government, have special knowledge or practical experience in matters relating to ground water, to be appointed by the Government.

The Ground Water Authority shall have power -

• to enter on any property (private or Government owned) with the right to investigate and make any measurement concerning the land or the water located on the surface or underground; 
• to inspect the well which has been or is being sunk and the soils and other materials excavated  there from; 
• to take specimens of such soils or other materials or of water extracted from such wells; 
• to inspect and to take copies of the relevant records or documents and ask any question necessary for obtaining any information (including diameter or depth of the well which is being or has been sunk, the level at which ground water or was stuck and subsequently restored or rested, the of strata encountered in the sinking of the well and the quality of ground water struck) required for carrying out the purposes of this Act; 
• to serve or cause to be served a notice requiring any user of ground water other than for agricultural use to furnish such information or returns in such form, at such intervals and with such particulars, as may be prescribed and thereupon such person shall comply with such requisition; 
• to require the user of ground water other than for agricultural use to install water measuring device on any ground water supplies, when necessary, to properly administer the ground water or where there is reason to believe that the user does not comply with the provisions contained in this Act or for any other sufficient reason for defending the public interest; 
• to seize any equipment/device utilized for illegal sinking and destroy the work executed fully or partly; 
• to require any user of ground water, who does not comply with the provisions of this Act and rules framed there under, to close down any water supply or destroy any hydraulic work; 
• to enter and search with such assistance, if any, as it considers necessary, any place in which it has reason to believe that offence under this Act has been or is being committed and order, in writing, the person, who has been or is committing the offence, not to extract or use the ground water for a specified period not exceeding thirty days; and 
• to exercise such other powers as may be necessary for carrying out the purposes of this Act or any rules made there under.  

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