Sangam Vihar sewer work hit by curbs on forest land: Delhi Jal Board tells NGT

The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) has told the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that sewer network work in parts of Sangam Vihar has been delayed due to restrictions on construction in forest land and pending road-cutting permissions, with a substantial portion of the second phase of the project now targeted for completion by March 2027

The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) has told the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that sewer network work in parts of Sangam Vihar has been delayed due to restrictions on construction in forest land and pending road-cutting permissions, with a substantial portion of the second phase of the project now targeted for completion by March 2027.

Sangam Vihar sewer work hit by curbs on forest land: Delhi Jal Board tells NGT

In a status report filed before the tribunal in an environmental case concerning untreated sewage in Sangam Vihar, the utility outlined the progress of its sewerage expansion project under the Delhi Sewage Master Plan-2031. DJB said the project was divided into two phases because of the area’s complex ground conditions.

According to the affidavit, the second phase covers several Sangam Vihar colonies where work has progressed in a staggered manner owing to what the utility described as “peculiar site conditions” and other impediments.

DJB said sewer lines have been completed in eight colonies that were unaffected by forest encroachments.

Work was also taken up in 14 other colonies, 11 of which were partially located on forest land. In these areas, sewer lines were laid only in portions outside the forest area, with the work treated as complete within the permissible limits. The affected localities include pockets of Sangam Vihar’s L, C, D and F-3 blocks.

DJB informed the NGT that of the remaining three Phase-II colonies, sewer laying has been completed in one. Work in the remaining two colonies in Durga Vihar, Deoli Extension, remains stalled because of “public hindrance and local resistance”, which prevented the executing agency from completing the balance work.

DJB also said it has completed peripheral sewer lines along major roads leading out of Sangam Vihar. These trunk lines intercept domestic sewage flowing through storm-water drains before carrying it to the sewer network along Mehrauli-Badarpur Road and eventually to the 170-million-gallons-per-day Okhla sewage treatment plant.

For Phase I, the utility said sewer lines have already been laid in several unauthorised colonies, including Shiv Park, Jawahar Park, Krishna Park Extension, Tigri Extension and Deoli Extension.

The affidavit also detailed delays in a separate balance work package. The original contract, awarded in May 2018, was terminated in September 2022, following which a fresh work order worth ₹31.31 crore was issued in November 2025.