Punjab and Haryana HC questions deepening of village pond to manage sewer overflow

In an attempt to resolve the problem of accumulating sewerage water near a school site, the authorities have allegedly created a bigger hazard— contaminating the village pond and sub-soil water. The Punjab and Haryana High Court has sought an affidavit from Punjab Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Rural Development and Panchayat, asking who authorised the method of waste disposal.

The issue came to light after the State informed the court that it had deepened a village pond to prevent sewerage overflow. Taking a serious view, Justice Kuldeep Tiwari questioned the legality and environmental implications of the step.

The Bench was hearing two petitions filed by Parent Teacher Association and other petitioners through senior counsel RS Khosla, along with advocates Sarvesh Malik and Aman Sharma. Justice Tiwari observed the state counsel informed the Bench that they had dug a pond deeper to avoid the overflow of sewerage water around the school site in Togan village near Mullanpur.

“Let the Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Rural Development and Panchayat, inform the court by way of an affidavit that how come and who authorises them to treat the sewerage water by digging the village pond deeper, which not only contaminate the village pond, but also the under sub-soil water,” Justice Tiwari asserted, while calling for the affidavit.

The matter initially brought to the court’s notice pertained to the discharge of untreated sewage/sludge around the school. The Bench, during the course of initial hearing, observed: “A larger issue has, however, been raised by the senior counsel appearing on behalf of the petitioners that there is a huge deficit in the requirement of the STPs required to be installed/functioning in the State of Punjab as against the total affluent discharge in the municipal or rural areas.”

The Bench had also asserted on a previous date of hearing that the core question and concern before the court was “that the environment degradation is not escalated any further due to untreated sewage being discharged in open areas and that too adjacent to the schools and other places of eminence.”