DJB gets notice from DPCC over sewage flow in Smriti Van pond

This comes after a DPCC inspection on July 27 when the pollution body found that the water quality in the pond was not fulfilling the prescribed standards

The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) has issued a show cause notice for an environmental compensation of ₹10 lakh to Delhi Jal Board (DJB) for failing to prevent sewage from entering a pond in Smriti Van in south Delhi’s Vasant Kunj.

(Representative image) In its report dated August 4, the DPCC has informed the NGT it has served a notice to the DJB, initiating action. (HT Archive)

This comes after a DPCC inspection on July 27 when the pollution body found that the water quality in the pond was not fulfilling the prescribed standards, particularly in Total Suspended Solids (TSS) and Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) values. Notably, DPCC had flagged similar findings last year too.

Data in the report showed the TSS in the pond was at 27 milligrams per litre (mg/l) against the standard of 10 mg/l or less; the BOD at 18 mg/l against 10 mg/l or less, COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand) at 52 mg/l against 50 mg/l or less, and ammonical nitrogen at 5.45 mg/l against 5 mg/l.

Smriti Van — part of the south-central Ridge, is spread over an area of 34.51 acres. The forest is situated between Sector A Pocket B and C in Vasant Kunj and falls under Delhi Development Authority’s (DDA) jurisdiction, similar to Sanjay Van. DJB, meanwhile, maintains and runs a decentralised STP there.

The DPCC report came in response to a plea filed by a resident in the National Green Tribunal (NGT), who alleged that large parts of the Smriti Van had been concretised, in violation of the Forest Conservation Act, 1980. NGT had subsequently sought details of the water body and its status.

In its report dated August 4, the DPCC has informed the NGT it has served a notice to the DJB, initiating action.

Moreover, the tribunal had observed earlier this year that DJB’s decentralised sewage treatment plant (DSTP) in the area was also operational without a valid consent to operate.