Aravalli area not a forest, green ministry tells NGT
NEWDELHI:MORE than a year after the environment ministry’s regional office concluded that a plot of land where more than 7,000 trees were felled for a group housing project in Faridabad was a “deemed forest,” the ministry informed the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Thursday that the area is in fact not a forest. The NGT was hearing a petition against the Haryana government for permitting the felling of more than 7,000 trees to make way for a group housing colony in Sarai Khwaja village in Faridabad.
NOIDA: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) Tuesday directed a joint team of Delhi and Noida to prepare an action plan to check pollution in Kondli drain that merges with the Yamuna in Noida and file an action taken report in two months.
The NGT order came in response to a plea filed by a resident of Noida. The Kondli drain originates in Kondli village in Delhi and enters Noida near Hari Darshan police post in Sector 11, flows through sectors 12, 22, 50, 76, 101, 81 and 137 before emptying into river Yamuna near Chak Mangrola village in Sector 168.
The team has been tasked to check effluent discharge from various parts of Delhi, dumping of sewage from Sector 137 in Noida and prosecute these polluters. The order was issued based on a joint report by the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) team from Noida and the Noida authority.
The NGT order observes that the Kondli drain carries polluted effluents from Delhi and sewage discharge from Noida’s Sector 168, before it empties into the Yamuna in Sector 168, Noida. The court also added that water quality in the drain was bad and the Noida authority has written to Delhi government about it.
“We direct the CPCB, DPCC, Delhi Jal Board, East Delhi Municipal Corporation, Noida authority and the UPPCB to have a joint meeting in a month and to prepare an action plan to check pollution. This may include action prohibiting discharge of effluents, prosecuting of polluters and recovering compensation for the damage caused to the environment,” the order said.
The tribunal made the CPCB the nodal agency for coordination and compliance. The report regarding the action taken is also required to be submitted before the NGT within two months.
The petition on groundwater pollution and effluent discharge in Yamuna from Kondli drain was filed by a resident of Sector 137 in 2017, and was supported by a group of over 150 volunteers. Following the petition, about 40 other online complaints were made by residents from neighbouring areas on the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change’s (MOEFCC) forum.
“There is no impermeable layer beneath this long drain to prevent the water from percolating and mixing with groundwater. Since Ganga water supply is not sufficient, most residents in Noida depend on groundwater. Such high pollution levels are unsafe and may pose serious health risks,” Abhisht Kusum Gupta, the appellant and resident of Sector 137, said.
Officials from UPPCB said further action can be taken once the panel for looking into this matter is formed and it is discussed by the authorities from both cities.
“Such pollution needs to be dealt with as it may lead to groundwater contamination. We need to identify the sources of untreated effluent discharge and discuss how these can be tackled. Both Delhi and Noida need to connect its drains to sewage treatment plants so that only treated water is pumped into the Kondli drain,” Anil Singh, regional officer of UPPCB, Noida, said.