‘Fish in Burari died of polluted Hry drain mixing with Yamuna’

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) has informed the National Green Tribunal that a highly polluted drain originating from Haryana and mixing with the Yamuna River was responsible for the death of several hundred fish in Burari.

Earlier, the NGT had taken suo motu (on its own) cognisance of a newspaper report regarding the death of several hundred fish in Yamuna, which sent a fetid stench in the residential areas of Burari in July this year. It had directed the DPCC to inspect the site. In its report submitted on Tuesday, the DPCC said an inspection was carried out at the location on August 29, and water samples were collected. The report said that there was a drain from Haryana (called Drain No. 8) which mixed with the Yamuna

near the site.

Samples were collected from three locations: the drain before it met the river, the Yamuna before the drain, and the river after the drain. The results revealed the drain had a high pollution load, which deteriorated the river’s water quality, leading to fish deaths, especially during the pre-monsoon season.

The DPCC urged the Haryana State Pollution Control Board and the state’s urban development authority to take urgent action to control pollution in Drain No. 08.