Order of the Supreme Court of India in the matter of Delhi Jal Board Vs The State of Haryana & Others dated 13/01/2021.

The present petition related to increased ammonia levels in Yamuna due to discharge of pollutants and on a larger level to river pollution in India. The SC observed that either the sewage is not treated through a sewage treatment plant before being discharged or the treatment plants are not functional or incpacitated.

The bench comprising of Chief Justice S A Bobde, Justice A S Bopanna and Justice V Ramasubramanian directed registration of suo moto writ petition (civil) with regard to “Remediation of polluted rivers”. The SC started with the issue of contamination of river Yamuna and ordered that notice be issued to the state of  Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.

The Apex Court directed the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to submit a report identifying municipalities along the river Yamuna, which have not installed total treatment plants for sewage as per the requirement or have gaps in ensuring that the sewage is not discharged untreated into the river. CPCB would also highlight any other source of prominent contamination within the limits of municipalities. It would also submit a priority-wise list of municipalities, river stretches adjacent to which have been found to be most polluted.