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The counsel representing the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) informed the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on February 28, 2025 that an affidavit from a competent officer would be submitted within four weeks. This affidavit will outline the timeline for extending sewage coverage to all jhuggi jhopri clusters, capturing sewer lines, and directing them to appropriate sewage treatment plants (STP). The court was assured that all pertinent details would be included in the affidavit.
The DJB's counsel highlighted that sewage and septage are extracted from certain clogged drains using tankers and transported to the STP. The aforementioned affidavit will also reveal the amount of sewage/sullage and septage produced from the JJ clusters, the methods of their treatment, the STPs where they are or will be treated, and the capacity and efficiency of these STPs with sufficient co-treatment facilities. The next hearing of the case is scheduled for May 2, 2025.
A complaint was lodged concerning the illegal disposal of sewage by unauthorised trucks and vehicles on roads and drains, leading to pollution and environmental damage. The tribunal, in a previous order, had also acknowledged the significant problem of septage management in areas lacking a sewer system.
On March 4, 2025, NGT instructed Godwin Construction Company in Meerut to pay an interim environmental compensation of Rs 10 crores for the mishandling, mismanagement and improper disposal of sewage and solid waste in the area it developed. This amount must be deposited with the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) within three months.
The tribunal also instructed Godwin Construction Company, Meerut to install a sewage treatment plant (STP) of the required capacity and make it operational within six months for treating sewage generated in the project area. The Resident Welfare Association should take necessary steps to dispose of solid waste scientifically and in compliance with the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016.
UPPCB must ensure adherence to environmental laws and standards concerning the handling, management, and disposal of solid waste, and take appropriate action against any violators if there is a breach, the order stated.
The state PCB was instructed to gather pertinent information, including the project cost from the project proponent Godwin Construction Company and Meerut Development Authority. Following this, they should calculate the final environmental compensation.
The environmental compensation amount should be used for the restoration and rejuvenation of the already damaged environment in the concerned area, in line with the Environment Development Plan to be prepared by the Joint Committee consisting of UPPCB and the District Magistrate of Meerut, with the District Magistrate acting as the nodal agency. The plan must be prepared within two months and implemented in the following four months, according to the order.
In the meantime, the Meerut Development Authority (MDA) is required to implement essential steps to avoid sewage buildup in the project zone, as stipulated by Section 24 of the Water Act, 1974. Should the connecting pipeline require an upgrade to a larger capacity line, the MDA must complete the necessary actions within two months. The UPPCB must submit a compliance report on all directives to the Registrar General of the NGT by August 15, 2025.