NOIDA: The Uttar Pradesh government has informed the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that 888 unauthorized colonies across six districts are discharging approximately 40 million liters of sewage into the Hindon River daily. Additionally, 51 unregulated storm drains in the area are estimated to carry around 1,067 MLD of water, sludge, industrial waste, and sewage into the river and its tributaries.
This information was included in an affidavit submitted by state chief secretary Shashi Prakash Goyal on April 28, complying with an NGT order issued on December 9 of the previous year. The next hearing is scheduled for August 17.
The NGT’s principal bench, led by chairperson Justice Prakash Srivastava and expert member Dr. A Senthil Vel, had previously highlighted in December that while the chief secretary’s previous affidavit mentioned household sewage connections, it did not address the status of unauthorized colonies and the untreated sewage they produce. The court has directed the state to provide details on the number of natural stormwater drains contributing sewage and industrial effluents into the Hindon and its tributaries.
Following discussions with departmental heads on April 22, Goyal’s affidavit detailed the breakdown of unauthorized colonies by district: 258 in Ghaziabad, 362 in Meerut, 180 in Baghpat, 31 in Muzaffarnagar, 51 in Shamli, and six in Saharanpur, collectively housing over 380,000 residents. Due to their unauthorized status, these settlements lack adequate drainage infrastructure, leading most sewage to flow into open or stormwater drains before reaching the river.
The affidavit noted that of the 55 drains evaluated in the region, three empty into the Yamuna, while one is classified as a river. The state has provided reports and action plans for 51 of these drains, with nine having been redirected to existing sewage treatment plants.
Ghaziabad plans to establish a 68 MLD sewage treatment plant (STP) to manage discharges from nine of the open drains. Other districts are implementing temporary and in-situ measures through local administrations and municipal bodies.
The tribunal is reviewing an application filed by environmentalist Abhisht Kusum Gupta in 2022, requesting action against authorities for failing to control the discharge of sewage and industrial effluents, which the petitioner argues has rendered the Hindon a dead river.
