NGT raps Delhi Jal Board over continued water contamination in Janakpuri

The NGT directed that clean drinking water be supplied to residents of A1 Block through alternate sources until the issue is fully addressed

New Delhi

The tribunal ordered fresh sampling to be carried out on June 30, with a report due ahead of the next hearing on July 16. (Representative photo/HT Archive)

After 30% of water samples tested in Janakpuri’s A Block were found contaminated with E. coli and faecal coliform, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) pulled up the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) for inaction, observing that even after three months of deliberation, the water utility has failed to take meaningful remedial measures.

The NGT directed that clean drinking water be supplied to residents of A1 Block through alternate sources until the issue is fully addressed. The tribunal also ordered fresh sampling to be carried out on June 30, with a report due ahead of the next hearing on July 16.

NGT issued the directions while hearing a plea filed by the residents’ welfare association (RWA) of Janakpuri’s A1 Block, which alleged that households have been receiving drinking water mixed with untreated sewage. The residents claimed a choked sewer line has corroded drinking water pipelines, leading to widespread contamination in the area.

A Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) report submitted last week found total coliform and E. coli in water samples taken from six of 20 houses in the area, raising red flags about faecal contamination. According to CPCB norms, these indicators should be absent in potable water.

“It is unfortunate that the matter is pending before the Tribunal for more than three months, and such a serious complaint concerning the supply of sewage mixed water where a presence of total coliform and E.coli has been noticed, has not been remediated till now by the DJB. This reflects that the Officers of the DJB are taking the matter in a very casual manner. They need to be sensitive to the problem being faced by the residents of that area for want of supply of clean drinking water,” the tribunal said in its order dated May 30.

The tribunal noted that DJB chief engineer Mukesh Kumar Jindal agreed to file an undertaking assuring of remedial steps, and that no resident would continue to receive contaminated water. The NGT made it clear that any failure to adhere to the undertaking would lead to personal liability.