Next time you throw garbage, including religious items, into the Yamuna, you may be fined Rs5,000. If you dump construction material into the Yamuna, you may be fined Rs50,000. In other words, throwing garbage, construction waste or religious items into the Yamuna has been banned.
In a bid to ensure strict implementation of its order, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has formed a Principal Committee headed by Special Secretary of Ministry of Environment and Forests. The committee will prepare an action plan to implement the NGT’s order within two weeks and will also file a status report every three months.
All stakeholders, including the DDA, DJB, Flood Control and Irrigation Department, Environment Department, Delhi Pollution Control Committee and representatives of Uttar Pradesh (UP), Haryana and Uttarakhand are members of this committee. This way, the NGT will be able to monitor the implementation of its own order.
The NGT has also directed UP, Haryana and Uttarakhand Governments to implement its order in this regard. The tribunal has also directed authorities to demolish all illegal constructions on the riverbed which has 97 sq kms of land in Delhi itself. Several unauthorised colonies have come up on the Yamuna’s riverbed in the Capital.
Cracking the whip on those polluting the Yamuna, the NGT, headed by Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar passed a slew of directions including a fine of Rs5,000 on individuals throwing waste or religious items into the river, as it unveiled a plan for its cleaning and rejuvenation.
It has also banned dumping of construction material into the Yamuna while imposing a fine of Rs50,000 on violators, and also restrained real estate developers from carrying out any construction work on the floodplains under its “Mailey se Nirmal Yamuna Revitalisation Plan 2017”.
It would be pertinent to mention that Delhi Government has no dumping ground or system in place to keep a check on people throwing waste or religious items into the river. There is a huge shortage of manpower in the Environment Department and it is a mystery how the department will implement this order. People throw garbage and religious items during Navratras and Diwali.
The Delhi Government has already banned throwing of construction material into the river, but despite all that, a huge quantity of construction material could be seen dumped on the riverbed. Delhi generates approximately 800 million gallons per day (MGD) of sewage, while it has an installed capacity to treat approximately 512.4 MGD of waste.
The tribunal gave its nod to the recommendations by two committees, constituted by it, on restoration of the Yamuna’s banks and storm water drains (SWDs) in Delhi. Taking note of the illegal constructions on Yamuna floodplains, the bench also restrained real estate developers from carrying out any construction there.
The tribunal’s verdict came while hearing a petition filed by Manoj Kumar Mishra of the Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan, seeking a ban on dumping of rubble into the Yamuna. Mishra said that he was satisfied with the judgement and the move for quarterly review by the tribunal is a commendable step.
“It is indeed a comprehensive judgement and we welcome it in totality. We look forward to NGT’s Yamuna restoration plan under ‘Mailey se Nirmal Yamuna Revitalisation Plan 2017’. This judgement will have an impact on other States as well. We will continue to push for implementation of this judgement,” he said.
In January, 2013, the NGT had banned dumping of debris including construction material into the Yamuna and had directed Delhi and UP to remove the rubble immediately. It had also directed the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) not to grant permission to any industrial unit discharging effluents directly or indirectly into the Yamuna. Taking a stern view on dumping of construction material in the National Capital, it had also directed Delhi Metro Rail Corporation to ensure that all such material was removed and taken to a designated site.
The CAG also found in its report that fifteen of 32 sewage treatment plants (STP) are working below capacity and can collect only 367 MGD. 21 treatment plants are operational, but can only treat up to 40 per cent of the sewage. CAG noted that four of 15 Common Effluent Treatment Plants, which were to be completed in 1998, remained unattended till 2013. Of the 11 operational, many are partially blocked. The report attributed various project cost escalations to official delays.