HC demands action plan to curb untreated discharge into Yamuna

The Delhi High Court has directed the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to submit a joint action plan addressing critical gaps identified by a Special Committee regarding the discharge of untreated water from sewage treatment plants (STPs) into the Yamuna River.

A Division Bench comprising Justice Prathiba M Singh and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora issued the directive after reviewing a report submitted by the Special Committee, constituted earlier by the court for on-site inspection of all 37 STPs in the capital.

“A brief perusal of the report itself would show that there is an enormous quantum of work that needs to be undertaken in order to ensure that only treated water is discharged to the river Yamuna,” the Bench observed, calling for urgent civic intervention.

Highlighting persistent shortcomings in the sewage management system, the court said the matter requires coordinated attention from multiple agencies. In addition to DJB and MCD, the Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (DSIIDC) and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) have also been directed to participate in the process.

The court instructed members of the Special Committee to convene a meeting with officials from DJB, MCD, DSIIDC, DPCC, and other relevant stakeholders on August 7. Additional meetings may be scheduled depending on the outcome of discussions, it noted.

Following these consultations, the DJB and MCD have been tasked with filing a comprehensive joint report detailing their proposed action plan to address the deficiencies highlighted by the Committee.

The directive was issued in connection with a suo motu public interest litigation (PIL) initiated by the HC in 2022. The case stemmed from the Court taking cognisance of a news report published on June 18, 2022, which had flagged massive traffic disruptions during the monsoon.