The Himachal Pradesh government could be the first one in the country to legislate use and regulation of ground water. It's moving to notify its Ground Water Act and is framing rules for its implementation early next year, said R Sandhu, Principal Secretary, Water Resources. Under the rules scheduled to be introduced next year, the state will set up a Ground Water Authority (GWA) which will monitor and control the use of ground water. It will also notify critical areas where no withdrawals will be permitted or restrictions will be imposed on existing users.