Subscribe
The Supreme Court (SC) directed the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) on August 6, 2025, to explain why manual scavenging and hazardous sewer cleaning is still going on without proper gear, exposing workers to life risks.
The apex court also took note of photographs which showed manual sewer cleaning was being carried out at one of its own gates and sought reply from the Public Works Department (PWD).
The SC warned that if it did not receive a satisfactory reply on the next date (September 10, 2025), it will have no option but to “direct the registration of an FIR against such officer(s) who are exposing the workers to the risk of their lives”.
The SC on August 6 directed the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) to take all the stakeholders on board — including the Government of the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) and the various committees/bodies appointed by the SC or the High Court of Delhi — and come out with a proposal wherein one uniform body can be entrusted with monitoring issues relating to the Delhi Ridge.
The bench of Chief Justice B R Gavai, Justice K Vinod Chandran and Justice Nilay Vipinchandra Anjaria granted time till October 8, 2025, so that the MoEF&CC can come out with a concrete proposal.
The apex court directed all stakeholders, including the Government of NCT of Delhi, members of the committees and also the CEC, to cooperate with the MoEF&CC and expedite the finalisation of the proposal. The court also clarified that no further time would be granted to the MoEF&CC for submitting the proposal.
The SC had noted that several committees are currently monitoring issues concerning the Delhi Ridge. The authorities are required to seek permission from several committees/bodies for land diversion. This, at times, results in conflicting orders.
The water quality of the Gopanpally lake has improved ever since a sewage treatment plant (STP) of 4.5 MLD began operations, stated the report filed by the Telangana Pollution Control Board (TGPCB) on August 11, 2025.
Gopanpally is a freshwater lake located in a village of the same name. The village comes under the Serilingampally mandal in the state’s Rangareddy district. The lake is spread over 19 acres (7.68903 hectares).
Officials of TGPCB, in coordination with their counterparts from Hyderabad Metro Water Supply & Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB), visited the lake and its surroundings on June 19, 2025.
The 4.5 MLD STP provided by HMWS&SB was found to be functional. The STP’s outlet has a drain to bypass sewage into the lake during maintenance of the plant’s wet well. Earlier, the STP used to bypass sewage water into the lake. But from the last four months, the STP is bypassing the sewage to an unlined pit adjacent to it, due to opposition from locals.
Water quality parameters of treated water discharged into the lake during the week preceding April 15, 2025, are within standards, data has shown.
The Honer Aquantis residential apartment located in the west of the lake is downstream of it. The Muppas Green Grandeur residential apartment located in the south of the lake has provided an STP for treatment of domestic wastewater and to use the treated water for flushing and greenbelt development. The excess treated water is being disposed of into sewage lines located in the west of the apartments, which is an inlet of HMWS&SB’s 4.5 MLD STP.
The National Green Tribunal had taken suo motu cognisance of a report by The Times of India dated April 15, 2025. The newspaper article said a fish kill has occurred due to discharge of treated/untreated water from the STP located adjacent to the lake and discharge of sewage from nearby areas.