SC notice to Hry on DJB's plea to stop releasing untreated water into Yamuna

new delhi: The Supreme Court of India on Wednesday issued a notice to the Haryana Government on a writ petition filed by the Delhi Jal Board, seeking appropriate directions as the state government in Haryana was not checking the ammonia levels before releasing water into the Yamuna, which is getting polluted in Delhi due to this.

While the DJB has for a while now been alleging the Haryana government was releasing untreated water into the Yamuna, the SC also initiated a suo motu plea regarding the pollution in the river, where it appointed DJB's lawyer Meenakshi Arora as an amicus curiae.

The Delhi Jal Board's petition in the matter sought directions to the State government and its Department of Irrigation and Water Resources to stop the discharge of pollutants in the Yamuna, which is causing an alarming rise in the ammonia levels in the river.

DJB Vice-Chairman Raghav Chadha said, "I'm happy that the Chief Justice of India has issued a notice to the Haryana government and listed the matter for urgent hearing on Tuesday, January 19. I am hopeful that the decision will be in favour of the residents of Delhi."

The DJB submitted before the CJI-led bench of the SC that the level of ammonia in the Yamuna had reached 6 on Tuesday, as a result of which it had to issue notices to 38 areas in North and South Delhi, notifying them that water services will be affected due to this. Arora submitted for the DJB that ammonia mixed with chlorine can cause cancer and when the CJI asked how the Haryana government can stop this, the DJB said the problem was with the state's Sewage Treatment Plants.

The DJB's petition said, "The plants, particularly those at Chandrawal, Wazirabad and Okhla, have often been forced to operate at only 50 percent capacity or lesser due to the extremely high ammonia levels in the

water."

Delhi Jal Board's plea stated, "Increased ammonia levels have resulted in severe impairment of the functioning of the water treatment plants of the petitioner to purify the water, and supply it as drinking water in the NCT of Delhi."

"Delhi Jal Board has spoken to the Haryana government to their officers, appealed to them, sought help for the benefit of the two crore population of Delhi; explained how water supply in Delhi was getting affected, but to no avail," Chadha added.