Verify Factual Position & Take Remedial Action Urgently: NGT Constitutes Joint Committee For Highly Polluted Drain From Sonipat To Delhi

The National Green Tribunal (NGT), Principal Bench, New Delhi has constituted a Joint Committee to verify the factual position and take remedial action urgently with regard to the highly polluted drain passing from Sonipat, Haryana to Delhi.

The Bench comprising Judicial Member Arun Kumar Tyagi and Expert Member Dr. A. Senthil Vel directed, “… a Joint Committee be constituted to verify the factual position and take appropriate remedial action on urgent basis. Accordingly, we constitute a Joint Committee comprising of Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) and Delhi Jal Board (DJB) and direct the same to meet within one week, undertake visits to the site, look into the grievances of the applicant, verify the factual position and take appropriate remedial action.”

The Bench said that the State PCB (Pollution Control Board) will be the nodal agency for coordination and compliance in this matter.

The applicant, Dr. Lokesh Kumar had made a request by sending the letter petition for water security by dredging drain No. 6 passing from Sonipat via Barota to Piau Maniyari/Kundli (Haryana State) to Delhi. He submitted that Drains No. 6 and 8 flew parallel in Sonipat/Kundli and Drain No. 6, which was maintained by the Irrigation and Flood Control Department of Haryana was filled with trash, garbage, silt, litter, and sludge.

It was further submitted that Drain No. 6 was not cleaned and dredged regularly. Being poorly maintained drain No. 6 was in a very critical degradation condition and the water flowing in drain No. 8 was comparatively clean which merges into the Yamuna River. Drain No. 6 overflew and leached to drain No. 8 and polluted the same and due to the intrusion of highly polluted wastewater from drain No. 6, water treatment plants in Delhi had to be closed. The applicant, therefore, prayed for the issuance of directions for dredging and cleaning of drain No. 6.

The Tribunal in the above regard noted, “Prima facie, the averments made in the application raise questions relating to environment arising out of the implementation of the enactments specified in Schedule I to the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010.”

The NGT, hence, sought a response from the State of Haryana, Engineer in Chief, Irrigation and Flood Control Department, State PCB, District Magistrate, Sonipat, and Delhi Jal Board through the Chief Executive Officer.

Accordingly, the Tribunal listed the matter for further consideration on November 8, 2023.

Cause Title- Dr. Lokesh Kumar v. State of Haryana

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