New Delhi, Jan 22 (PTI) The National Green Tribunal on Thursday sought a response from the Noida Authority and others, flagging alleged lapses in stormwater management and prolonged waterlogging that led to the drowning of a software engineer in a trench in Noida.
The green body was hearing the matter in which it had taken suo moto cognisance of a newspaper report on the death of Yuvraj Mehta, who drowned after his vehicle fell into a waterlogged trench at a commercial site in Sector 150.
A bench of NGT Chairperson Prakash Shrivastava and expert member, A Senthil Vel, noted the report, which said, “Mehta took a sharp right-angle turn and due to fog conditions, fell into the trench. The land where the person died was initially allotted for a private mall project, but had turned into a pond as rainwater and wastewater discharged from nearby housing societies were allowed to accumulate in it for a decade.” The bench also noted that the stormwater management plan chalked out by Uttar Pradesh Irrigation Department in 2015 remained on paper despite multiple rounds of surveys and site inspections.
“As per the news item, the stormwater received potentially increasing discharge from existing drains. The basements of several housing societies in nearby areas were flooded as the rain could not be discharged into the Hindon in the absence of a regulator. Without a controlled outlet, water stagnated and risked backflow into the river that swelled,” the tribunal said.
The NGT noted allegations of residents about the inaction by the Noida Authority against waterlogging.
“The news item indicates lapses by the Noida Authority in taking up remedial measures, resulting in the death of the person. The matter indicates a violation of the Environment (Protection) Act, and the news item raises substantial issues relating to compliance with the environmental norms,” the tribunal said.
The tribunal impleaded the Noida Authority, Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board, the principal secretary of the state’s environment department and the district magistrate of Gautam Buddha Nagar.
It directed the respondents to file their replies by affidavit at least a week before the next hearing on April 10. PTI MNR OZ OZ
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