Septic tank waste released in Yamuna without being treated, alleges plea; Delhi HC issues notice
May 15, 2020
New Delhi [India], May 15 : Delhi High Court has issued notices to Delhi government and Delhi Jal Board on a plea alleging that waste collected from septic tanks in Najafgarh area is being released into Yamuna river without being treated at sewage treatment plants.
A bench of Justice V Kameshwar Rao issued notices to the respondents seeking their response on the matter and slated it for further hearing on May 27.
The High Court, while issuing the notices on Wednesday, also made it clear that the District Magistrate concerned shall ensure that no waste collected from septic tanks in the area in question shall be released in the Najafgarh drain or in any of the open drains in the locality.
The court was hearing a plea, filed by Najafgarh resident Yogesh Kumar, which said that the area does not have any sewerage or water connections.
"In the absence of sewerage lines, the residents have installed septic tanks of varying sizes in their households. The sewage waste in the households in this area is collected in septic tanks," the plea said.
It also said that the residents have the septic tanks cleaned either by hiring the licencees or operators deployed by the respondents or the unlicensed private operators.
The plea, filed through advocate Abhimanyu Mahajan, alleged that the waste collected by these agencies from the septic tanks are required to be treated in sewage treatment plants but added that unfortunately, the same is not being done.
The waste, without being treated in sewage treatment plants, is directly discharged or released either into Najafgarh drain or any other open drains in the locality, which is then ultimately released into Yamuna River, the plea said.
Advocate Sangeeta Bharti, counsel for Delhi Jal Board, said that the licences, no doubt, are being issued by the Jal Board, but the supervision and implementation of the process are by a committee, constituted by the Government of NCT of Delhi, and headed by the District Magistrate concerned.
