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The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) report, submitted to the National Green Tribunal August 7, 2024 compared the water quality of the Brahmaputra and Ganga rivers, along with their tributaries, to the primary bathing water quality standards.
The Brahmaputra river basin includes the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Sikkim and West Bengal. The Ganga river basin spans Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and West Bengal. In West Bengal, all nine sites within the Brahmaputra river basin failed to meet the primary water quality standards for bathing.
In Haryana, none of the 12 locations within the Ganga river basin met the primary water quality standards for bathing. In Uttar Pradesh, 97 out of 114 locations failed to meet these criteria. Similarly, all 96 locations in Bihar were found to be non-compliant with the primary water quality standards for bathing.
The District Survey Report on mineral sand, aligned with the Sustainable Sand Mining Management Guidelines of 2016 and the Enforcement and Monitoring Guidelines for Sand Mining, has been compiled by the district's sub-divisional committee. The report has been reviewed by the State Level Environment Impact Assessment Authority, as mentioned in the counter-affidavit filed on behalf of the Deputy Commissioner of Bokaro August 8, 2024.
The Deputy Commissioner of Bokaro reported to NGT that the Jharkhand government had formed a district-level task force to oversee, monitor, and control illegal mining activities. This task force meets regularly to review the situation and has been given strict orders to act against any illegal mining, storage, and transportation of minerals. The Deputy Commissioner of Bokaro chairs these regular reviews. During the District Task Force meeting on June 28, 2024, specific instructions were issued to maintain strict surveillance in the area.
The matter related to illegal sand mining in Mahutand under the Bermo sub division of Bokaro district, Jharkhand. As per the news item which appeared in News Wing, December 19, 2023, in Mahutand hundreds of tractors are involved in transporting the illegally mined sand and this activity goes on throughout the night even making it difficult for the residents to sleep and the students to study and was also causing noise pollution.
The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) requested four weeks from NGT on August 7, 2024 to submit a report detailing the demarcation status of the Yamuna river's floodplain zone within the Delhi stretch.
The tribunal also instructed DDA to document the demarcation status in accordance with River Ganga (Rejuvenation, Protection, and Management) Authorities Order, 2016.