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NGT seeks CPCB and state authorities’ replies on fluoride contamination in surface water of Arunachal Pradesh.
Suo motu case based on reports of fluoride levels up to 21.86 mg/L — far above WHO’s 1.5 mg/L limit.
Principal bench reviews floodplain demarcation of Yamuna and Hindon; Uttar Pradesh given more time to file affidavit.
Over 250 alleged illegal constructions in Greater Noida floodplain under scrutiny.
NGT southern bench issues notices on sewage pollution fears from new flood escape channel in Uthandi, Tamil Nadu.
Residents warn the channel could carry sewage to sea and damage Uthandi Beach’s Blue Flag prospects.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on September 17, 2025 directed the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to file its reply regarding fluoride contamination in surface water in Arunachal Pradesh.
The NGT asked the authorities to submit their response before its eastern bench, with the next hearing scheduled for November 11, 2025.
Along with the CPCB, other authorities directed to respond included the Arunachal Pradesh State Pollution Control Board, the deputy commissioner of Tawang district, and the North Eastern Regional Institute of Science and Technology (NERIST).
The application was registered suo motu on the basis of a Down to Earth news item titled Alarming levels of fluoride contamination found in surface water of Arunachal Pradesh raising health concerns published on August 26, 2025.
The article reported the discovery of alarming fluoride levels in Tawang district. In 2022, scientists from DRDO Tezpur recorded concentrations as high as 21.86 milligramme/litre (mg/L) in surface water samples from rivers and high-altitude lakes — far above the World Health Organization’s (WHO)safe limit of 1.5 mg/L.
A 2024 study by researchers from NERIST, Itanagar, found fluoride levels of 7.11 mg/L in Sangetsar Tso (Madhuri Lake), a popular tourist site, which is more than four times higher than the WHO limit.
The principal bench of the NGT on September 17, 2025 considered the matter of demarcating the floodplain zone of the Yamuna and Hindon rivers.
In an earlier order dated May 26, 2025, the NGT had directed the additional advocate general (AAG) for Uttar Pradesh to place on record, by way of affidavit, the methodology used for demarcation of the Yamuna floodplain.
Counsel for Uttar Pradesh sought four weeks’ time to submit the affidavit. Referring to the irrigation department’s affidavit of September 14, 2025, the counsel said that determining the floodplain of the remaining 3 kilometre stretch of the Yamuna upstream of Okhla Barrage was likely to be completed within three months, and requested an adjournment.
The NGT directed the state of Uttar Pradesh to file a progress report at least one week before the next hearing, fixed for December 18, 2025.
The matter concerns unauthorised construction over the floodplain zone of the Yamuna and Hindon at Lakhnawali village, Greater Noida, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Uttar Pradesh. The applicant alleged that there are more than 250 constructions in the floodplain and sought directions for its proper demarcation.
On September 17, 2025, the NGT directed authorities to respond to allegations of sewage pollution through a newly constructed flood escape channel in Uthandi, Tamil Nadu.
The tribunal directed the Greater Chennai Corporation, Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, district collector of Kancheepuram, and the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board to file their replies by way of affidavit before the southern zonal bench of the NGT.
The case was registered suo motu based on a report by English daily The Hindu of August 28, 2025 titled Uthandi residents raise concerns over sewage pollution through new flood escape channel.
According to the article, residents fear the channel could carry sewage-laden water from the Buckingham Canal to the sea rather than floodwater alone. The water resources department has begun work on a 1.2 km-long channel linking the south Buckingham Canal near Okkiyam Maduvu to the sea via the sublocality VGP layout. The project aims to drain excess water from the canal and provide flood relief around the Pallikaranai swamp.
The article further noted that the Greater Chennai Corporation is working to upgrade Uthandi Beach to Blue Flag status, but residents fear the channel could pollute the beach and harm marine life. Digging for the canal may also damage existing pipelines.