SC issues notices to multiple agencies on Yamuna pollution

Noida: A Supreme Court division bench has issued notices to Nagar Palika Parishad Khoda Makanpur, Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Delhi Public Works Department, Delhi govt, the River Rejuvenation Committee for Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi’s Irrigation and Flood Control Department after obtaining from Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) a list of authorities responsible for checking pollution in the Yamuna.

The apex court was hearing civil applications filed by Noida and the Delhi Jal Board, which have challenged the environmental compensation imposed on them by National Green Tribunal in 2022. The hearing took place on April 29. The bench also directed amicus curiae K Parameshwar to suggest a nodal authority to coordinate different departments and agencies by the next date of hearing on May 13.

The tribunal had imposed an environmental compensation of Rs 150 crore on both agencies for failing to check sewage flow into the Kondli irrigation canal, which eventually drains into the Yamuna and contributes to pollution.

During the previous hearing on March 19, the bench of justices Manoj Mishra and Manmohan observed that rivers are national assets and must be protected. It had directed CPCB to identify authorities that could be involved in preparing a comprehensive plan to address the issue. The pollution watchdog subsequently submitted a list of such agencies.

The bench noted that several of these agencies are already represented in court and issued notices to the remaining ones. On the suggestion of additional solicitor general SV Raju, it also decided to include the Delhi irrigation department.

Observing that multiple agencies are involved, the court underlined the need for better coordination to prevent sewage and industrial effluents from entering the Yamuna. It asked the amicus curiae to propose a nodal agency for this purpose.

Meanwhile, Devesh Mishra, joint secretary in the UP urban development department, filed an affidavit stating that encroachments on land earmarked for a sewage treatment plant in Khoda Makanpur have been cleared and construction has begun.

Responding to the court’s concern on whether the proposed 66 MLD sewage treatment plant, planned in 2024, would meet future requirements if completed by 2028, Mishra said a study by IIT Delhi found that the plant would be adequate to meet demand until 2041.
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