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YB WEB DESK. Dated: 1/14/2021 12:18:38 PM

SC issues notices to Haryana, CPCB on petition claiming cancer risk on use of river water

New Delhi, Jan 13 The Supreme Court has issued notice to the Government of Haryana and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) on the petition of Delhi Jal Board (DJB) regarding pollution in river Yamuna. Delhi Jal Board had alleged that dirty water is coming from Haryana. The amount of ammonia in this water is of high level, which is polluting the Yamuna. There is a risk of spreading of cancer with the use of polluted Yamuna water. Today , the Bench headed by Chief Justice of India S.A. Bobde took suo motu cognizance of pollution in Yamuna. The court appointed Senior Advocate Meenakshi Arora as Amicus curiae. Meenakshi Arora, who was appearing on behalf of Delhi jal Board, argued that the increase in Ammonia level was making the water of Yamuna unfit for consumption and Ammonia mixing with other pollutants had potential to cause cancer. The DJB said in Haryana Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) don’t work causing high ammonia level and making the water unfit to drink. It also filed a plea against the Haryana government for dumping untreated discharge in the Yamuna which was spiking the level of Ammonia, thereby making it “unfit” water to be supplied to Delhi people. The increase in the amount of ammonia in the Yamuna river from December to February every year has been taken seriously by the monitoring committee constituted by the National Green Tribunal (NGT). The Yamuna Monitoring Committee has asked the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to take appropriate steps to find and improve the main source (cause) of ammonia uptake in the river. Last year, about 600 tons of garbage, plastic bags and other dirt were loaded into 200 trucks from Delhi alone in the five-day Yamuna cleaning drive. There are about 65000 slums on the banks of Yamuna in Delhi. 3 to 4 lakh people live in them. This settlement is starting from the Wazirabad barrage itself. More than one crore residents of 17 streams and one lakh industrial units of Delhi, including the largest Najafgarh drain, reaches about 7.15 crore gallons of dirty water in this river. The committee, taking cognizance of the media reported that the order said that the level of ammonia in the Yamuna river near Wazirabad has increased to 7 ppm (parts per million), while according to the set standard it is 0.8 ppm. Along with this, Delhi Jal Board has also alleged that despite repeated attention, Haryana has not taken appropriate steps to stop the flow of dirty water from the industrial units.