The National Green Tribunal has requested responses regarding measures to ensure safe drinking water supply across Madhya Pradesh, following legal proceedings linked to a deadly water contamination event in Indore. The tribunal’s Central Zone bench in Bhopal acknowledged actions already initiated by the Madhya Pradesh High Court in connection with the incident, which caused 22 deaths and affected hundreds of residents in Bhagirathpura in December.
Hearing two applications concerning regional water contamination, the tribunal instructed that a report submitted by the Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board be shared with opposing parties via email. The bench granted those parties three weeks to submit their responses before resuming hearings on September 16.
Statewide Scope Raised Before Bench
During the proceedings, legal representation for the applicants noted that although the Indore bench of the High Court is handling writ petitions specific to municipal water supply issues, the matters brought before the tribunal address broader contamination and supply challenges throughout the entire state of Madhya Pradesh.
High Court Commission And Directives
The tribunal panel, consisting of Judicial Member Justice Sheo Kumar Singh and Expert Member Sudhir Kumar Chaturvedi, observed that the High Court has established a judicial commission to determine which officials are prima facie responsible for the Bhagirathpura tragedy. Recognizing that local supply issues remain sub judice before the High Court, the tribunal noted the court’s comprehensive instructions for municipal water management.
Those judicial directions mandate routine water quality testing, maintaining required chlorine levels, replacing deteriorated pipelines, disinfecting storage structures, locating sewage leakage points, upgrading sewerage networks, and enforcing accountability for operational lapses.
