Groundwater use by Delhi Metro: NGT fines Jal Board

New Delhi, Sep 6 (PTI) The National Green Tribunal hascastigated Delhi Jal Board (DJB) and slapped a fine on it fornot filing its response on a plea alleging that Delhi Metrowas extracting groundwater to wash its trains, despitepromising to do so in a few days a fortnight ago. A bench headed by Justice U D Salvi slammed the counselfor DJB and slapped a fine of Rs 2000 on the department formaking "loose statements" before it. "DJB had made a statement on August 22, 2016 that thereply will be filed within two to three days. No reply hasbeen filed till date…We deprecate this practice of makingloose statements before the Tribunal. We, therefore, saddlethe DJB with the cost of Rs 2,000," the bench said. The green panel directed DJB to deposit the amount withthe NGT Legal Aid Service Committee within two weeks andsubmit the receipt of payment before it on September 8, thenext date of hearing. The tribunal was hearing a plea filed by Delhi residentKush Kalra who had alleged that DMRC was extractinggroundwater instead of using wastewater to wash its trains,resulting in depletion of water table. Advocate Kush Sharma, appearing for Kalra, had said thatat a time when water crisis has hit 12,000 villages acrossLatur in Maharashtra, DMRC is busy shining its trains by"illegal" extraction of groundwater. Referring to a RTI reply, the plea said that DMRC’s waterrequirement was met through borewells and DJB connection. Italso said that in order to draw water from the borewell, 3 to5 HP pumps were used. "No bottled water is used, groundwater after treatment asper requirement is used for train washing…Borewells havebeen provided in the depots from where water is sourced. "Around 400 to 500 litres of groundwater is used forwashing of one metro train. The water, after washing of metrotrain, is sent to Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP). The treatedwater is then used for gardening and the excess sent todrains," the RTI reply had revealed. Further, another RTI response received from Delhi JalBoard said no permission had been granted to DMRC for diggingthe borewells. In another response, a list of metro stations that hadbeen granted such permissions was provided to DMRC, the pleahad said while referring to the contradiction between theresponses. PTI PKSARC