Irrigation dept files case against Noida villagers for dumping waste in Hindon

omplainant Rajesh Chandra, who is posted as a junior engineer in the irrigation department of Ghaziabad division, said villagers of Noida’s Phase 3 were dumping waste in river Hindon

On a complaint given by a junior engineer of the irrigation department, Ghaziabad division, police on Saturday lodged a case at Phase 3 police station against Noida villagers for allegedly dumping waste in river Hindon, said senior police officers on Monday.

The pollution levels in the Hindon have earned it a ‘dead river’ status and its water declared ‘unfit’ even for bathing, according to the Central Pollution Control Board report of 2015. (HT Archive)

Phase 3, station hosue officer, Vijay Kumar said, “Complainant Rajesh Chandra, who is posted as a junior engineer in the irrigation department of Ghaziabad division, said villagers of Noida’s Phase 3 were dumping waste in river Hindon.”

“Due to the dumping, the river is getting polluted day by day, and JE was informed by locals that Shishpal, Satya, Ramniwas Yadav, and other unidentified people, all residents of Chaukhandi village in Phase 3, were dumping waste in the river,” said SHO Kumar, adding that a case under section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by a public servant), 277 (intentionally pollutes or makes impure the water), 430 (mischief by injury to works of irrigation), and 432 (mischief that causes inundation) of the Indian Penal Code was registered at Phase 3 police station.

Also known as Harnandi, the rain-fed Hindon originates in the lower Himalayas of neighbouring Uttarakhand. Joined by its two tributaries -- Kali and Krishni – it flows through seven western UP districts before confluence with the Yamuna in Gautam Buddha Nagar.

The pollution levels here have earned it a ‘dead river’ status and its water declared ‘unfit’ even for bathing, according to the Central Pollution Control Board report of 2015.

In 2023, following the flooding of the Yamuna in June, the quality of water in river Hindon in Ghaziabad district improved considerably with the dissolved oxygen (DO) levels in the months of July and August becoming the highest since 2018, officials of the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) said.

However, downstream locations still show low levels of dissolved oxygen. The absence of dissolved oxygen in upstream areas may be due to oxygenation as the water flows downstream.

Further investigations are underway in the matter, police said.