The Bombay high court on Thursday directed the BMC and Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) to “shun the jurisdiction issue”, sit together and find a solution to stop deterioration
The Bombay high court on Thursday directed the BMC and Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) to “shun the jurisdiction issue”, sit together and find a solution to stop deterioration of rivers in the city and also to solve the issue of water-logging, which is causing water-borne diseases.
The division bench headed by Justice V.M. Kanade directed the BMC and MMRDA to immediately take steps to stop the deterioration of rivers in the city. According to the judges, the decline of rivers leads to drainage issues and waterlogging. Due to this, viral diseases like dengue and chikungunya are on the rise. The court observed that because the authorities are not complying with the statutory provisions of treating sewage before dumping them, the rivers in Mumbai are in a “deplorable” state.
The court also directed the authorities to consider the recommendations made in the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (Neeri) report and implement those on a war-footing.
Advocate Atal Bihari Dubey had filed a PIL after heavy rains caused waterlogging in June 2015. Dubey’s lawyer S.C. Naidu informed the court that after the July 2005 deluge, authorities had carried out dredging and rock excavation at Mithi river but as per a Neeri report, several tonnes of raw sewage are being dumped in the river every day.
