The National Green Tribunal (NGT), Principal Bench at New Delhi, took serious note of the continuing discharge of untreated sewage into the Defence Colony storm water drain and the resulting environmental pollution, including foul odour and contamination of the Yamuna river.
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), through a report dated July 4, 2025, submitted that 80% of the de-silting work in the Defence Colony drain had been completed. MCD assured the Tribunal that the remaining 20% of the work would be completed by July 31, 2025 and stated that the drain had originally been designed for storm water, but was now polluted due to illegal discharge of untreated sewage, an issue that falls under the purview of the Delhi Jal Board (DJB).
Senior Advocate Sidharth Luthra, appearing for the intervenors, emphasized that it was the DJB’s responsibility to stop the inflow of sewage into the storm water system, while urging that the MCD must continue de-silting and prevent silt accumulation along the drains until a long-term solution is implemented.
Senior Advocate Colin Gonsalves, representing the applicant, stressed that two key interventions were essential: (i) the setting up of Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) to prevent sewage from entering storm water drains, and (ii) completion of de-silting work to restore the drain’s intended use and reduce odour emissions. He argued that since untreated sewage flows across Delhi through the Barapullah drain and is only treated before it outfalls into the Yamuna, the situation warrants urgent remedial measures.
Kaushal Raj, CEO, DJB, submitted that 189 unauthorised colonies discharge into the Barapullah/Defence Colony drains and 129 of which remain unsewered. He also pointed out that forest clearance is required for laying sewer lines in colonies located on forest land, further complicating the situation.
After hearing all parties, the Bench comprising of Justice Prakash Shrivastava (Chairperson), Justice Sudhir Agarwal (Judicial Member), and Dr. A. Senthil Vel (Expert Member) directed the DJB to file a comprehensive affidavit within four weeks, detailing: Full mapping of all sewage drains outfalling into Barapullah/Defence Colony drain; Quantum of daily discharge; Specific locations of the drains; and STPs proposed with timelines, funding sources, and designated officers responsible.
The Tribunal directed MCD to expedite de-silting and also disclose progress on installation of wire-mesh at the upstream point to prevent solid waste inflow, and submit details regarding the scientific disposal of removed silt.
The matter is now listed for further monitoring and compliance on August 20, 2025.
Appearances in the case :
Applicant: Mr. Colin Gonsalves, Senior Advocate with Mr. Zain Haider & Mr. Umesh Kumar, Advs. for Applicant in OA 06/2012 & E.A 05/2024 Mr. Rahul Khurana, Adv. (Court Commissioner)
Respondents: Mr. A.D.N. Rao, Senior Advocate along with Ms. Richa Kapoor & Ms. Atika Singh, Advs. with Mr. Kaushal Raj Sharma (Through VC), CEO, Delhi Jal Board
Mr. Sidharth Luthra, Senior Advocate (Through VC) with Mr. Kunal Vajani, Mr. Kartikey Bhatt, Mr. Tanish Arora, Mr. Abhinav Jain, Mr. Kushagra Raghuvanshi & Mr. Karanvir Gogia, Advs. in I.A No. 329/2024, 421/2024 & I.A No. 272/2025; Ms. Puja S. Kalra & Mr. Virendra Singh, Advs. along with Mr. S.D. Tomar, SE & Mr. K.P. Yadav, AE, MCD Ms. Jyoti Mendiratta & Ms. Ananya Basudha, Advs. for GNCTD & IFCD ; Mr. Rahul Khurana, Adv. for the State of Haryana & HSPCB; Mr. Bhanwar Pal Singh Jadon, Mr. Harsh Vardhan Singh Rajawat, Ms.; Gargi Chaturvedi & Ms. Anjali Sharma, Advs. for the State of UP; Mr. Pradeep Misra & Mr. Daleep Dhyani, Adv. for UPPCB (Through VC); Mr. Narender Pal Singh, Adv. for DPCC (Through VC); Ms. Prabhsahay Kaur, Ms. Deeksha L. Kakar, Mr. Rashneet Singh & Ms. Sana Parveen, Advs. for DDA; Mr. Raj Kumar, Adv. for CPCB & NDMC; Mr. Paritosh Anil, Adv. for MoEF & CC (Through VC); Ms. Priyanka Swami, Adv. for Irrigation Department, State of UP (Through VC).
