Identify, address Yamuna pollution, says NGT
NEW DELHI: The National Green Tribunal has asked the Delhi and Haryana governments to identify and address the sources of pollution in the Yamuna.
A bench headed by Justice Jawad Rahim ordered Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) to ensure that action is taken against the polluting industries responsible for the high toxicity of the water in the river.
“Though, the issue is with regard to high level of ammonia in the water which is reaching the water reservoir of Delhi Jal Board, if you take the entire river ecosystem, the pollution level in the portion of the river passing Delhi also needs to be properly checked,” the order said.
“In the circumstances, we direct both, the state of Haryana and NCT of Delhi to ensure that they identify the source of pollution and address it appropriately. CPCB and DJB shall be involved to ensure the erring industry or local bodies and other parties who are causing pollution are dealt with appropriately and check the pollution level,” it said.
The NGT had earlier directed the Delhi and Haryana governments to hold a meeting to resolve the issue of high ammonia content in the water being provided to Delhi.
The direction came after the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) moved a plea in the tribunal alleging high ammonia in water being provided by the Haryana government to Delhi.
After directions from the tribunal, CPCB submitted its analysis of ammonia at Tajewala in Haryana, Wazirabad water treatment plant, Okhla and at ITO barrage in Delhi.
The analysis showed that the level of ammonia in Yamuna exceeded the safe limit in 13 of 17 places between Haryana and Delhi and that most of the ammonia was coming from drains in Delhi. At Delhi Gate, Najafgarh and Sonia Vihar, the ammonia level was at least 35-45 times higher than what the DJB is equipped to treat, according to the report.
Earlier reports have revealed that total coliform, or mostly human and animal excreta, continues to be in lakhs, or in some cases, even crores of particles (measured in ‘most probable number’ or ‘mpn’ per 100 ml), in the river in Delhi. The standard is a maximum of 5,000 mpn/100 ml (most probable number/100 ml). The dissolved oxygen, which is a must for many forms of life in the water, continues to be negligible, which reiterates that it’s a dead river.
Of the 900 MGD of water distributed in Delhi, nearly 60% comes from Haryana through the Yamuna.
The toxic water not only is unfit to be treated for drinking, it also poisons the groundwater and any fruit and vegetable that grows on its floodplain, environmental experts say.