NEW DELHI: A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed before the Delhi High Court, highlighting a year-long issue of sewer overflows in various areas of the capital, often leading to water contamination and the spread of waterborne diseases. It is set to be heard on Friday.
The petition, filed by NGO Social Jurist, criticises the authorities for failing failure to desilt major sewer lines, inadequate cleaning of branch sewers, reduced manpower and machinery for sewer maintenance, and outdated sewer systems that need urgent replacement.
It attributes the delays to internal disputes within the Delhi government.
“The authorities’ failure to address this severe sewer overflow problem due to internal conflicts has resulted in significant health risks for the public, violating the fundamental rights of Delhi residents under Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution,” stated the petition, which was filed by advocates Ashok Agarwal and Kumar Utkarsh.
According to the petitioners, the NGO had previously raised the issue with the authorities and received a response from the Delhi Water Minister Atishi, attributing the problem to an artificial financial crisis and bureaucratic gridlock created by the Finance Department, which has stalled efforts to resolve the situation.
“…since January 2023, a situation of artificial fund crunch has been created in the DJB due to non-release of budget on one pretext or the other, by the Finance Department of GNCTD. In fact, Rs 2,802 crores remained unreleased to DJB even at the end of FY 2023-24, even though the DJB had more than Rs 700 crores of pending financial liabilities,” the plea stated.
The PIL seeks an order directing the Finance Department to release sufficient funds and provide the necessary approvals to enable the DJB to take corrective measures.