SC takes suo motu cognisance of rising pollution in Yamuna
The Supreme Court on Wednesday took suo motu cognisance of the rising pollution level in river Yamuna in the national capital and appointed senior counsel Meenakshi Arora as amicus curiae to assist the court in the matter.
Chief Justice Sharas A. Bobde heading a bench also comprising Justice A.S.Bopanna and Justice V. Ramasubramanian took suo motu cognizance of the pollution level in the river Yamuna in the course of the hearing of a plea by Delhi Jal Board complaining that Haryana was discharging untreated wastewater in the river which has resulted increase in the ammonia level in the river.
While taking suo motu cognizance of the pollution in river Yamuna, the top court also issued notice to Haryana on a plea by Delhi Jal Board.
Arora appearing for Delhi Jal Board told the court that the sewage treatment plants for treating waste water set up by Haryana government at different points on the river Yamuna were not working as a consequence untreated wastewater was flowing in the river contributing to an increase in the ammonia level.
Arora told the court that due to an increase in the ammonia level in river Yamuna, it was becoming unfit for consumption and ammonia mixing with other pollutants had the potential to cause cancer.
Coupled with this, she told the court that the rising ammonia level was impacting the working of the water treatment plants installed by the Delhi Jal Board for the treatment of waste water,
“The plants, particularly those at Chandrawal, Wazirabad and Okhla, have often been forced to operate at only 50 percent capacity or lesser due to the extremely high ammonia levels in the water. This has repeatedly resulted in shortage of water and water crisis in the NCT of Delhi”, said the plea by the Jal Board.
The Jal Board further told the court that on December 25, 2020, the ammonia t on December 25, 2020, the Ammonia level in river Yamuna shot up to an alarming 12 ppm and that could result in complete stoppage of the water treatment plants in the national capital.