The Delhi High Court has strongly criticised the state government for failing to prevent treated water from being discharged into drains carrying untreated sewage, which eventually reaches the Yamuna River. The bench observed that such practices render sewage treatment plants and common effluent treatment plants ineffective, despite significant public expenditure.
A division bench of Justice Prathiba M Singh and Justice Manmeet PS Arora directed the Chief Secretary to take immediate and comprehensive measures, including the preparation of a detailed drainage master plan. The court stressed the importance of expert evaluation to understand how Delhi’s stormwater and sewage systems operate in parallel and intersect after treatment, calling for urgent upgradation.
The court was confronted with contrasting reports. A special committee appointed by the court, which included advocates Vrinda Bhandari and Vivek Tandon, highlighted severe lapses such as the mixing of treated water with untreated sewage, under-utilisation of common effluent treatment plants, corroded pipelines, outdated infrastructure, absence of live monitoring systems, and non-functional meters.
In response, the Delhi government contended that the plants were functioning satisfactorily. Rejecting this assertion, the bench remarked, “If treated water is allowed to mix with drain water before reaching the Yamuna, the entire exercise is meaningless. Why spend crores without ground-level accountability? The situation calls for going back to the drawing board and properly mapping stormwater and sewage drains across Delhi.”
The Court’s observations underline the urgent need for systematic monitoring and accountability to prevent further environmental degradation and ensure public funds are utilised effectively.
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