The Supreme Court on Tuesday sought an explanation from the Central, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana governments on the Yamuna continuing to be highly polluted despite a spending of around Rs. 4,400 crore over the last 18 years on cleaning the river.
Hearing a petition, the Bench of Justices Swatanter Kumar and Madan B. Lokur expressed concern over the enormous spending: “All the agencies have spent crores of rupees. What is the purpose? What work has been done ultimately?” Despite the existence of as many as 18 sewage plants to treat effluents, the treated water had “a high rate of pollution”.
The court said ways should be found to prevent direct discharging of untreated water into the river. It appointed a committee to go into all issues and directed it to submit a report in two weeks. The Centre should inform the court of the action the Yamuna Development Authority had taken so far to clean the river under the Yamuna Action Plan. The Bench asked the Central Pollution Control Board to submit a report explaining whether the treatment plants were working and how untreated waste could be stopped from being drained into the Yamuna.
In its October 10 order, the court said it had been brought to its notice that “despite heavy expenditure, [running into] thousands of crores, having been incurred by the Centre, the States of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh and local authorities in the National Capital Territory of Delhi, pollution was increasing by the day. A report was filed on behalf of the Central Pollution Control Board, “wherein it has been reflected that the samples collected from the Yamuna show flagrant violation of the prescribed standards.”
The Bench said: “The Yamuna should be converted into a wholesome and clean river and its water in the entire region, i.e., from Hathini Kund in Haryana to the Monitoring Station at Taj Mahal, Agra, has to be pollution-free. The statistics on record show that this object is far form being achieved.”
Further hearing is posted to November 9.
