NGT notice to DDCA, DJB, TPDDL for wasting water

New Delhi, May 18T: The National Green Tribunal today issued notice to DDCA, Delhi Jal Board and Tata Power Delhi Distribution (TPDDL) on a plea alleging they were wasting water and directed them to submit their reply by June 6.

The plea filed by an NGO alleged that Delhi and District Cricket Association was using reverse osmosis-treated water for the upkeep of Feroz Shah Kotla ground and power discom TPDDL was wasting 7,500 litres of water per day through the RO water plants it installed at 31 educational institutions.

A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar issued the notice to DDCA, DJB and TPDDL and asked them to respond to it by June 6. Citing a news report, the NGO, Friends, said that at a time when Indian Premier League is being shifted out of Maharashtra in view of the severe drought in the state, DDCA is using RO-treated water for ground maintenance.

"Every drop that flows out of DDCA's taps is RO treated, whether it is for cleaning utensils or toilets. At a time when many states are facing drought, it's very disturbing that DDCA is using water in such a manner," the plea, filed through advocate Sugriva Dubey, said.

The NGO also said: "If the feed water contains harmful pollutants and high Total Dissolved Solids (as claimed by TPDDL), then the rejected effluent will definitely have a concentration of harmful pollutants and a very high TDS that will continuously pollute the groundwater.

"And that way, the daily pollution caused by the release of approximately 2,32,500 liters of effluent from only these 31 RO plants can be imagined." "If a plant works for 10 hour per day then the wastage of water per day from a single plant would be around 750x10 liters ie 7500 liters," the plea claimed.

PTI