NGT tells govt to list steps taken to clean Yamuna

Following the immersion of Ganesha and Durga idols in Yamuna, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Delhi government to give a detailed affidavit, enumerating the steps taken by the government to clean the river.

The NGT also directed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government to submit a status report on the river's condition after the immersion and on the compliance of directions given by it to execute the cleaning of Yamuna under Phase I. Phase I entails controlling and preventing pollution at Najafgarh and Delhi Gate drains.

"The counsel appearing for the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi submits that steps are being taken to clean the river and the flood plains of Yamuna after the festive season and the immersion of idols. Let him also file a status report," a Bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar said.

The green tribunal was hearing a plea filed by environment activist Akash Vashishta, who has sought directions for steps to clean the banks of the river which, he claimed, were completely choked with dumped waste. Thousands of idols of Ganesha, made of plaster of Paris and painted with hazardous chemicals such as mercury, cadmium, lead, and carbon, were immersed in the Yamuna to mark the festival of Ganesha Chaturthi in late August.

The petition brought on record the news reports that said that the river had turned into a drain, with people immersing idols and other puja material in the water body. It further claimed that the bio-oxygen demand of the river, a measure of organic pollution, reached "dangerously high levels" during Ganesha Chaturthi.

The petition also stressed upon how Yamuna was choking and dying gradually due to immersions, which continued unchecked. Seeking a blanket ban on immersing idols and other religious ritual materials, the petition also noted that the water body has turned into a waste ground, which was threatening its existence.

The petition also urged the NGT to direct the government to devise an action plan on immersing idols. In 2015, the tribunal had banned immersion of all idols, except those made of bio-degradable material. "Idol immersion should be allowed only of the ones that are made from bio-degradable material and not plastic or Plaster of Paris. Only those colours should be used on the idols that are environment-friendly," the Bench had then said.

BAD STATE

• The green tribunal was hearing a plea filed by environment activist Akash Vashishta, who has sought directions for steps to clean the banks of the river which, he claimed, were completely choked with dumped waste.