Haryana Ordered to Urgently Cover Drain Contaminating Delhi's Water Supply

In a recent development, the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has directed the Haryana government to urgently cover diversion drain number 6 (DD-6) to prevent sewage and effluents from overflowing into diversion drain number 8 (DD-8), which supplies drinking water to Delhi.

The NMCG's directive comes in response to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) taking suo motu cognizance of a media report highlighting the mass deaths of fish in the Yamuna river near Burari in north Delhi. Similar incidents of fish deaths were reported earlier this year as well.

According to the NMCG's affidavit, the agency convened a joint meeting with officials from the Haryana Pollution Control Board, Delhi Pollution Control Committee, and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to ascertain the cause of the fish deaths and formulate measures to prevent their recurrence. The affidavit states that Haryana has been instructed to lay a dedicated pipeline or conduit to cover the DD-6 stretch where it overlaps with drain number 8, in order to eliminate the overflow.

Furthermore, Haryana has been directed to include water quality monitoring reports of DD-8 in its monthly progress reports to the NMCG. The CPCB will also conduct quarterly joint monitoring at three locations, including the point where DD-8 meets the Yamuna and along the river's stretch.

The issue of sewage and effluents contaminating DD-8 had earlier been flagged before the NGT in March 2024, and the tribunal had set a 12-month deadline for Haryana to implement long-term remedial measures. The latest directives from the NMCG aim to address this ongoing problem and protect the water supply to the national capital.