High Court questions authorities on ground water contamination

NEW DELHI: Concerned over the possibility of ground water contamination in the city due to industrial units in residential areas, the Delhi High Court on Thursday asked the authorities what steps they were taking to prevent it.

A Bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice Navin Chawla issued notices to the Central Ground Water Board, Delhi government, Delhi Pollution Control Board and various civic bodies of the national Capital and sought their stand by May 25.

It queried the authorities after taking cognisance of a news report about discharge of carcinogenic chemicals by cloth dyeing units in Mustafabad locality of North East Delhi.

The report published in a national daily states that the untreated effluents are contaminating ground water, which is the main source of drinking water in the area, and that it is being linked to the high rate of cancer there.

The Bench expressed displeasure over the dyeing units operating in residential area and said, “This is happening because nobody wants to get out of their offices and see what is happening in the areas under their jurisdiction”.

“None of the agencies are working properly, even the MCDS are not performing their duty as per the statutory provisions under the law,” it said, adding that there is not even a water policy in the country.

The news report states that though no study has been conducted in this Mustafabad locality, locals trace the genesis of the abnormal rate of cancer to toxic chemicals used by the denim dyeing units.