The run-off water from the upper reaches have brought along with a pile of plastic and other inorganic wastes through the Meenachil river. A scene from the Thazhathangadi bridge in Kottayam. Image used for representative purpose only.
| Photo Credit: VISHNU PRATHAP
The Supreme Court has raised the alarm on the indiscriminate dumping of plastic waste in rivers and waterbodies, calling for a “concerted effort” to stop water pollution before the damage reaches a point beyond repair.
“There is widespread use of plastic in the areas which are to be kept free from such pollution potential products. The dumping of plastic is causing serious environment degradation and also impacting aquatic life in the river banks and the water bodies in the country,” a Bench headed by Justice Hrishikesh Roy recorded in an August 2 order published on Tuesday.
The court said the public and authorities have to join hands or the “desired improvement of the quality of the water in River Ganga/all other rivers and water bodies in the country will remain illusory”.
The court gave the Union government, represented by Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, who also appears for National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), four weeks to file an affidavit detailing its view, and measures taken to address environment concerns, focussing on the river Ganga.
The order came in a petition highlighting unauthorised construction in and around Patna in Bihar.
In an earlier hearing, the Bihar government had submitted that it had identified 213 unauthorised constructions adjacent to the river, and steps had been taken to remove these encroachments/constructions.
On Tuesday, the State was also directed by the court to file an affidavit on the same lines as the Union government.
