New Delhi, March 22,2023: The National Green Tribunal has directed a joint committee to take corrective steps and carry out an action plan in order to ensure efficient utilisation of water that is wasted during the building of Metro Rail in Delhi, Jaipur, and Mumbai.

The principal bench comprising of Chairperson, Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel (retd), Judicial Member, Justice Sudhir Agarwal, and Expert Member, Dr Senthil Vel was hearing an application filed raising concerns about the water wastage caused by the discharge during the construction of Metro Rail in the aforementioned three cities.

“Discharge of water is against the government policies including the National Water Policy, 2012, Jal Shakti Abhiyan initiated in 2019, appeal of the Prime Minister to all Sarpanches to conserve water and principle of Sustainable Development requiring water conservation,” the applicant told NGT.

The Tribunal took note of the application and directed a joint committee made up of the Secretary of the Ministry of Jal Shakti, the CPCB, and the Metro Rail Corporations to investigate the situation and take the appropriate corrective action.

The committee was given instructions to convene within a week, interact with relevant stakeholders and authorities, and develop and implement an action plan based on the situation’s actual facts.

It was also tasked with developing the appropriate SOPs to guarantee efficient water usage and the construction of Rain Water Harvesting Systems (RWHS) to collect rainwater.