NGT Ordered Delhi Government To Comply With Supreme Court Order To Collect Remediation Costs In Delhi
New Delhi:
The National Green Tribunal ordered the Delhi government to comply with the Supreme Court order to collect sanitation fees from all households in the nation’s capital for the disposal of untreated effluent in Yamuna.
The green panel noted that 2.3 lakh people in the unauthorized settlements in Delhi did not connect the sewers, resulting in the emission of pollutants into the river.
The NGT said that in accordance with the “polluter pays principle, each household causing pollution by discharging wastewater into an open environment or into the sewer system is responsible for paying for its treatment”.
“The Delhi government can immediately comply with the Supreme Court order of October 24, 2019 regarding the collection and collection of charges for wastewater,” said a bench led by NGT president AK Justice Goel .
In 2015, the green panel ordered the authorities to charge each household in Delhi an amount of environmental compensation for the production of wastewater, based on the polluter pays principle.
The Supreme Court later upheld the NGT’s order asking the Delhi government to start collecting sanitation fees from all households in the capital within two months. The NGT said that the major problem remains the pollution caused by discharges of wastewater, industrial effluents and other pollutants.
“If Yamuna is to be rejuvenated, these discharges directly or through the drains must be stopped. This is only possible if the integrated drain management cell performs its functions effectively to prevent the discharge of untreated wastewater into the drains or into Yamuna, “said the bench. .
He said that the Delhi Pollution Control Committee must ensure that the polluting industries are stopped and that new industries are not allowed without guarantees.
The court said that the second major problem is to protect the flood plains and to take other restoration measures for which the Delhi Development Authority must effectively assume responsibility.
“Large quantities of floodplains are still invaded. The establishment of adequate wetlands and other useful activities remains a distant dream,” he added.
Regarding Yamuna’s environmental flow, the NGT said that this issue needs to be addressed at the administrative level.
“Apart from the authorities in Delhi, the states of Haryana and the UP cannot escape their responsibility. It is essential to implement an awareness-raising program and involve civil society. An effective institutional monitoring mechanism must be put in place, “said the bench.
He said there was no question that a huge amount of ecological restoration and encroachment work had been incomplete for a long time and ordered Delhi, Haryana and UP to take further action in accordance with the recommendations of the Oversight Committee. Yamuna (YMC).
The court stated that YMC could continue to monitor compliance with instructions in the course of its previous work and that the facilities provided to the Committee, including offices, could continue in order for it to function effectively.
The YMC’s term of office, consisting of retired expert member BS Sajwan and former Delhi chief secretary Shailaja Chandra, who was appointed by the court in 2018, ended in June.
The court also stated that with regard to the treatment of sewage disposal in the drains connecting the Yamuna river, the land available in the floodplains can be used for this purpose, if there is no other alternative or until other land becomes available.
The matter is now posted for the next hearing on January 27 of next year.
(With the exception of the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
