‘Effluents flowing freely, 16 industrial areas with no treatment plant shocking’

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Friday expressed shock over the absence of treatment units in 16 industrial areas in the national capital and said effluents were flowing freely in River Yamuna without treatment.

A bench of Justices Prathiba M Singh and Manmeet PS Arora said the condition was “quite serious” and “abysmal” indicating an imminent need to install common effluent treatment plants (CETP) in all 33 industrial areas in Delhi.

“In effect, therefore, 16 industrial areas in Delhi do not have any CETPs. This is a shocking revelation to say the least. In these 16 areas, effluents are freely flowing without any treatment,” the bench said.

The court went on, “The condition is quite serious and abysmal which would therefore lead this court to the question as to how the solution is to be arrived at, to ensure that all the water flowing into the river is fully treated and does not cause pollution in the river.”

The bench referred to a Supreme Court order directing the installation of CETPs in all industrial areas.

The court said an affidavit filed by the Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC) on the functioning of CETPs revealed an “extremely sorry state of affairs”.

Regarding the CETPs in Narela and Bawana under the control of DSIIDC, the bench said the corporation was taking requisite steps of monitoring the effluents, carrying out testing on a daily basis and following protocols.

The court stressed the need for monitoring at all CETPs in industrial areas while reviewing waterlogging issues in Delhi. It noted delays in installing flow meters at 11 of 37 STPs, calling the situation unsatisfactory. The Delhi Jal Board was granted time to

complete installation.