Pollution body asks MCD for help to shut illegal jeans units in Delhi

A non-conforming area is one which no longer complies with the original zonal guidelines. Hundreds of industrial units have come up in these areas in Delhi.

The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) has written to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), seeking assistance to shut down illegal jeans dyeing units operating in non-conforming and residential areas in north and north-west Delhi such as Mukundpur, Swaroop Nagar, Budhpur and Narela, officials aware of the matter said.

Yamuna activists say the units have existed in residential and non-conforming areas for several years now, particularly in north Delhi. (HT Archive)

A non-conforming area is one which no longer complies with the original zonal guidelines. Hundreds of industrial units have come up in these areas in Delhi.

The units, most of which are operating without legal permits and the mandatory common effluent treatment plant, release high amounts of phosphates and ammonia directly into local drains, which dump the toxins in the Yamuna and contributes to the formation of toxic foam in the river.

DPCC has been carrying out drives in different parts of Delhi over the last couple of years, following directions of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in 2019 and in 2020, by which the tribunal had sought action against such units. The tribunal had ordered action following a plea in 2019 by activist Varun Gulati, who had shared photographs of these units discharging effluents directly into drains.

The DPCC has written to the MCD following a fresh complaint by Gulati, who has shared photographs with the anti-pollution body that several dyeing units were operating in Mukundpur and its adjoining areas.

DPCC, in its letter dated April 5, has sought assistance of the MCD and said that it could not take action in non-conforming areas, according to the Master Plan of Delhi (MPD) 2021.

“Redressal of public complaints made by Varun Gulati against water pollution caused by illegal jeans dyeing units operational in Mukundpur with photos attached, is sought. The contents of the complaints are self-explanatory. With the approval of the competent authority, I (DPCC) am directed to forward the complaints and the necessary action under intimation to the complainant,” said the letter, which refers to a 2015 meeting where it was decided while DDA will take action against illegal industrial units in regular areas, MCD will crack down on the ones located in other areas.

Gulati said while DPCC initially took action in some parts of Delhi in 2019, including in non-conforming areas, following the NGT orders, these drives were halted due to the Covid-19 pandemic. “They resumed in 2021, but the DPCC, despite evidence of more units on the ground, is now refusing to take action in residential and non-conforming areas. These units have already been found to be a source of pollution in the river Yamuna as most of them do not possess effluent treatment plants,” Gulati said.

According to officials, DPCC sealed 22 dyeing units in Narela and Bawana in August 2022; and shut down 56 units Khayala and adjoining areas in March 2022. In both cases, environmental damage compensation (EDC) was also imposed on these units.

To assess the impact of garment and jeans washing or dyeing units operating in Delhi, DPCC had also floated a tender for a study in January which will look at the water consumption and pollution by such units. “The study is yet to be awarded. Once completed, we will know the exact impact of these dyeing units on the Yamuna,” a DPCC official said.

Officials of MCD did not respond to requests for comment.

Bhim Singh Rawat, a Yamuna activist and member of the Rivers and People (SANDRP), says these units have existed in residential and non-conforming areas for several years now, particularly in north Delhi. “These units are releasing chemical toxins into the river and not only cause frothing, but also posing a danger to the aquatic life,” he said.