The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has sought a detailed explanation from the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) for allowing the tapping of river Asi, a tributary of the Ganga, in Varanasi — a move that, according to the tribunal, violates the provisions of the River Ganga (Rejuvenation, Protection and Management) Authorities Order, 2016.
A bench comprising NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava and expert member A Senthil Vel passed the order on February 5 while hearing a petition filed by advocate Saurabh Tiwari concerning the continued discharge of untreated domestic sewage and industrial effluents into the Ganga.
During the hearing, the tribunal examined a plan filed by the Uttar Pradesh government titled ‘Abatement and Control of Pollution by Discharge of Sewage and Industrial Effluent in River Ganga and its Tributaries in Varanasi’. The plan included information on the status of partially tapped and untapped drains discharging into the rivers Ganga and Varuna in Varanasi and Chandauli districts.
The NGT noted that the river Asi, though described in the plan as a “drain,” is in fact a tributary of the Ganga. It categorically stated:
“It is not in dispute that the river Asi is a tributary of the river Ganga, and in terms of the River Ganga (Rejuvenation, Protection and Management) Authorities Order, 2016, such a tapping cannot be allowed.”
The tribunal was informed by the Uttar Pradesh government’s counsel that the NMCG had granted permission for the tapping of river Asi. Taking serious note, the NGT directed the NMCG to clarify:
“The NMCG is required to furnish an explanation as to how, violating the provisions of the 2016 order, tapping of a tributary of the river Ganga has been permitted.”
The tribunal also expressed concern over the practice of permanently tapping stormwater drains as part of the anti-pollution strategy. It said such measures were impermissible as they could potentially disrupt the ecological balance of the river system.
Furthermore, it observed that the sewage treatment plants (STPs) in Varanasi, which receive untreated sewage through these tapped drains, might be located within the floodplain zone of the river Ganga.
“There is every likelihood that these [STPs] have been set up in the floodplain zone of the river Ganga,” the bench remarked, directing the NMCG to submit the material relied upon to confirm that the STPs were not situated on floodplains.
The tribunal also asked the state government to submit a timeline for achieving 100% household connectivity with the sewage network in Varanasi.
Granting six weeks to the state and the NMCG to file updated progress reports and explanations, the tribunal listed the matter for further hearing on April 21.
