CPCB inspection flags gaps in Noida’s drain-tapping and sewage treatment work

The findings are based on CPCB’s joint inspections with the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) in mid-September, covering major sewage treatment plants (STPs), in-situ wetlands and drains across Noida.

Fresh compliance observations by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) on Noida’s sewage and drain management have recorded partial progress and several pending works across the city’s treatment systems, according to a report submitted by CPCB in an ongoing matter related to the Kondli drain.

CPCB inspection flags gaps in Noida’s drain-tapping and sewage treatment work

The findings are based on CPCB’s joint inspections with the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) in mid-September, covering major sewage treatment plants (STPs), in-situ wetlands and drains across Noida.

The compliance proceedings originated from an NGT order passed in August 2022 on the Noida drain. Both the Noida Authority and the Delhi Jal Board later challenged the order in separate civil appeals before the Supreme Court.

In an order dated November 11, NGT noted that the appeals are pending before the apex court and directed both agencies to place on record copies of the appeals and the Supreme Court’s interim orders.

According to the affidavit, CPCB and UPPCB teams inspected eight sewage-treatment plants on September 16. Of these, the 35 million litres per day (MLD) facility in Sector 123 was found non-operational after water from the Hindon entered the premises and damaged electromechanical components. The incoming load is currently being diverted to the adjoining 80MLD plant. Parameters for the seven operational STPs were recorded as part of the compliance assessment.

Subsequently, the teams reviewed three in-situ wetlands developed on Noida drains — at Sector 50/51, near NSEZ Dadri crossing, and near Advant Tower in Sector 142. The wetland at Sector 50/51 showed higher pollutant levels at the outlet than the inlet, which the report attributes to recent heavy rainfall. The other two sites displayed varying removal efficiencies for BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demand), COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand), and suspended solids.

The affidavit states that while a feasibility study for tapping 30 drains has been completed through NEERI (National Environmental Engineering Research Institute), physical interception remains incomplete at several points.

The inspection found ongoing construction work at drains D6 and D7, whereas tapping of drain D20 could not be verified due to overflow caused by rainfall.

Geo-tagging of 30 locations — including drains, discharge points and a wetland — has been confirmed through mapping data.

A key pending intervention flagged in the compliance update is the proposed STP for Khoda–Makanpur. Although a 16,000sqm land parcel in Sector 62 was leased for the project in November 2024, the UP Jal Nigam had not taken possession of the site at the time of the inspection. As a result, sewage from Khoda continues to flow untreated into Delhi and eventually joins the Kondli/Noida drain. A sample collected near the CRPF camp recorded high levels of COD, BOD and suspended solids.

Water-quality monitoring of the Noida drain showed that pollutant concentrations were highest at the entry point near the Delhi–Noida border — COD at 489 mg/l and BOD at 193 mg/l — with levels decreasing closer to the Yamuna. The affidavit also compares the latest readings with data submitted previously before the NGT in 2023.

CPCB’s submission also records steps earlier reported by the Noida authority, including detailed project reports for several drains and commissioning of the 80 MLD and 100 MLD STPs.

In a previous submission reported by HT, the authority had informed the NGT about its plan to increase treated-sewage reuse through expanded infrastructure by 2026. The latest compliance findings outline the current on-ground status of those components as verified during the September inspection.