Losing the pollution fight against Shahdara drain

NOIDA: For decades, this dark stream of sewage has been flowing directly into the Yamuna, leaving the river choked with pollutants. But as Delhi and NCR step up the fight against pollution, this is a battle they continue to lose.
The Shahdara Outfall, commonly known as the Shahdara canal, was originally a flood control measure taken by Delhi’s irrigation and flood control department to prevent flood in the trans-Yamuna area — an aftermath of the 1961 floods that affected large parts of East Delhi.
Created in 1976, the same year Noida came into being, the canal was created to carry flood water away from the Yamuna bed in case of a natural disaster. But for the past four decades, the canal, largely a drain to carry sewage from Delhi, has been a cause of major air pollution in Noida and finally a direct toxic outlet into Yamuna. The direct adverse impact of the open drain has been on Noida residents because of the toxic fumes emanated by it which are not only hazardous for health, but also makes maintenance of electronic goods a major problem.
In order to find a solution, residents have been contesting a legal battle with the Delhi Jal Board for the past 20 years. The case is still pending with the Supreme Court.
“The Shahdara canal issue has been clubbed by the Supreme Court with another petition on Yamuna pollution. We are now appealing to the apex court to delink the case from the larger issue, because it needs special attention,” Prashant Bhushan, who is representing the residents in the apex court, told TOI.
“A yea ago, an STP was set up at the Chilla regulator. The capacity of treatment of the plant is nine million gallons per day. Every day, Delhi empties 125-150 million gallons of sewage into the drain. Naturally, the STP facility is inadequate for treating the drain water and this entire mass of untreated sewage empties into the Yamuna on a daily basis,” Sushil Agarwal, founder of FONRWA, who is the chief petitioner in case, said.
Visually as well as in other environmental parameters, the Shahdara drain has been Noida’s sore thumb. “Apart from the stench, toxins spewed by the drain is bad not just for Noida residents, but a huge threat to groundwater as well. Stagnant polluted water can contaminate the city’s groundwater. Noida is sitting on a major health risk because of this canal,” said environmentalist Vikrant Tongad.
“The Shahdara canal is a long drawn issue. It is high time the problems were resolved. It has been a major polluter. It has taken more than enough time on the legal front to get its cause heard and addressed. Lots of studies have been done, lots of ideas floated, but nothing has been done to address the issue directly so far,” said environmentalist Manoj Mishra.
“We are now appealing for a delinking of the Shahdara issue by the Supreme Court. A fresh legal battle is going to start to resolve the matters this time,” Agarwal said.