National Green Tribunal (NGT) has sought response from departments of Urban development, Forest and Environment, and Kota district administration on discharge of industrial effluent, mainly that of the thermal power plants and sewerage water into the Chambal river.
NGT Central Zone issued notices to the Principal Secretaries of Urban Development, Forest and Environment and to the District Collector of Kota along with the Kota Municipal Corporation and the Urban Improvement Trust.
They have been asked to respond by December 12.
Judicial member Justice Dalip Singh and expert member P S Rao issued these notices while admitting the petition filed by an environmentalist Babu Lal Jajoo.
The petitioner has claimed that the untreated sewage from the Municipal Corporation, Kota along with the industrial untreated effluent and also water from Thermal Power Plant is being discharged into the Chambal river.
"The aforesaid acts of omission and commission are resulting in destroying the eco-system of the river as well as polluting the river and thereby clearly violating the provisions of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974," petitioner's counsel MS Kachhawa argued.
Another issue raised is the "unauthorised and excessive" fishing in the Chambal river, which is also adversely affecting the population of alligators, crocodiles and dolphins and other flora on the river's bank, which is unique to the eco-system of the river.
The petitioner said that the 996-km long river is counted among the fresh water rivers of the country but due to the above mentioned reasons and negligence in maintain the freshness of the water, the threat of the river turning polluted has been looming large.
