Jal Board to approach HC over toxic dumping in Yamuna

New Delhi: The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) on Monday said it will move the High Court over discharge of industrial waste and high level of pollutants in the Yamuna in Haryana which affects the water quality in the national capital.

“Raw water quality in Delhi has been affected time and again due to the discharge of industrial waste and high level of pollutants in Yamuna in Haryana. 

This has been a perpetual problem and the residents of Delhi suffer due to the problem. We decided to move to the Delhi High Court to get a solution to the perpetual problem,” the board said in a statement.

The raw water quality has deteriorated again at Wazirabad pond since January 25, it said, adding that the present ammonia level in Yamuna is 02.2 ppm due to which 30 per cent water production has been curtailed at different water plants of Delhi, including Wazirabad, Chandrawal and Okhla.

The Wazirabad reservoir is required to be kept full for drinking water needs of Delhi at all times as per the orders of the Supreme Court.

“This pollution is directly affecting the drinking water supply inside the territory of Delhi. 

The Central government, which also houses many of its offices in the NDMC area as also its residential complexes, is also requested to direct Haryana for stopping the pollution in the water, which is to be used by Delhi for drinking,” the Board said.

“The DJB is going to state about the problem of ammonia level in the polluted water in the Wazirabad pond in the court,” it said. 

It also said that the Irrigation Department of Haryana was directly in control of the sources from which the water comes into Yamuna in Delhi.