National Green Tribunal Seeks Action Plan for Hindon River Pollution

The National Green Tribunal has raised concerns about deficiencies in pollution reports by the Central and Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Boards regarding Hindon River pollution in Noida. The tribunal requested further information and directed the state's Chief Secretary to submit an action plan to address the issue by October 14.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has identified deficiencies in reports by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) concerning the pollution levels in the Hindon River, specifically in a village in Noida.

The NGT is scrutinizing the pollution in the river in Uttar Pradesh, and according to a recent order by a bench led by NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava, roughly 200 metric tonnes of solid waste, primarily construction and demolition (C&D) waste, have been dumped in Garhi Chaukhandi village, Gautam Buddha Nagar district.

The bench, which also includes judicial member Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and expert member A Senthil Vel, highlighted that both CPCB and UPPCB reports fail to detail the extent of the area contaminated and whether the dumping is ongoing. They further noted the lack of a specified action plan for waste management in accordance with regulations.

The NGT has urged the local bodies in the area to submit an action plan and directed the Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh to file a report, outlining actions taken or proposed in response to the CPCB's 'Pollution Source Mapping of River Hindon and its Tributaries and Restoration Plan for Polluted Stretches.' The report is to be submitted a week before the next hearing on October 14.

(With inputs from agencies.)