NEW DELHI: In a decisive move to combat rampant pollution, the NGT has called for an urgent response from Uttar Pradesh chief secretary regarding the severe contamination of Hindon River.
This action follows the tribunal’s suo motu cognisance of a media report detailing alarming levels of industrial and domestic effluents flowing into the river.
Hindon, a 400-kilometre river originating from Saharanpur, sustains nearly 1.9 crore people across seven districts. However, unchecked discharge of over 72,000 kilolitres of industrial waste daily from 357 factories and 943 million litres of sewage has turned the river into a toxic stream.
The NGT noted that 220 million litres per day (MLD) of sewage remains untreated due to inadequate infrastructure, worsening the river’s deteriorating health.
A bench led by NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava, along with Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and expert member A Senthil Vel, highlighted that pollution levels have reached critical proportions. Reports cite heavy metal contamination far exceeding permissible limits, including lead (179 times higher), cadmium (9 times higher), and chromium (123 times higher).
“These pollutants have wreaked havoc on local communities, leading to a surge in cancer cases, liver damage, skin ailments, and kidney stones,” as per the NGT.
The ongoing pollution violates multiple environmental laws, including the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, the Solid Waste Management Rules, and the Environment Protection Act.