River Hindon pollution: NGT notes ‘deficiencies’ in CPCBs, UPPCBs reports

New Delhi, Jul 23 (PTI) The National Green Tribunal has observed that there were some "deficiencies" in the reports by the Central Pollution Control Board and Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board regarding the pollution in river Hindon in a Noida village and sought more information from authorities.

The NGT was hearing a matter regarding the pollution in the river in Uttar Pradesh.

In a recent order, a bench of NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava noted that according to the CPCBs report dated July 9, in village Garhi Chaukhandi of the district Gautam Buddha Nagar, along the Hindon River, around 200 metric tonnes of solid waste, primarily consisting of construction and demolition (C&D) waste, had been dumped.

The bench, also comprising judicial member Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and expert member A Senthil Vel, said that the UPPCB had also filed a similar report.

"We find the following deficiencies in the said report: Reports of UPPCB and CPCB do not disclose the extent of the area occupied where an estimated 200 MT of waste is dumped. It also does not disclose whether dumping is continued," the bench said.

"Observations reveal that nature of dumped waste is C&D but, as to how it should be handled and managed in accordance with rules and time-bound action plan for remediation, has not been specified," it added.

The bench sought an action plan from all the local bodies in the area.

It also directed the state’s Chief Secretary to file a report disclosing the action already taken or proposed in pursuance to a report submitted by the CPCB titled ‘Pollution Source Mapping of River Hindon and its Tributaries and Restoration Plan for Polluted Stretches.' "We require the Chief Secretary of State of UP to file a report disclosing the action which has been taken/proposed in pursuance to the report(by CPCB)…and the timeline for completing the said action," the tribunal said.

It directed that the chief secretary to file the report a week before the next date of hearing (on October 14). PTI MNR RT