Order of the National Green Tribunal regarding contamination of groundwater around the dump site at Baliapanda, Puri, Odisha, 18/03/2024
Order of the National Green Tribunal (Eastern Zone Bench, Kolkata) in the matter of Chinmay Das Vs State of Odisha & Others dated 18/03/2024. The matter related to contamination of groundwater around the dump site at Baliapanda, Puri, Odisha.
The NGT said that the report of the Central Ground Water Board presents a very dismal picture of two ground water samples collected from Harachandisahi which has concentration of 65.89 ppb and Bengali Colony park, Goudabadasahi, which has concentration of 12.02 ppb, exceeding the maximum permissible limit (0.01 mg/l) of drinking water specification. It is also mentioned that 29 ground water samples were collected from borewells/handpumps/dugwells around the dump site at Baliapanda, Puri, out of which 16 samples were found to be contaminated with higher concentration of nitrate and 7 are due to polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons.
The Central Ground Water Board has recommended that the dump site in question is suggestive of leaching of contaminants like – NO3 and PAH from the dump site resulting in contamination of ground water in the vicinity. It has also been recommended that to prevent mixing of leachates from dumping site with ground water, the dumping site should be isolated from the aquifer by construction of impermeable layers under and around it.
The court said that the recommendations of the Central Ground Water Board have not been addressed by the Puri Municipality in its affidavit, January 2, 2024.
The NGT directed the Puri Municipality to file a fresh affidavit within four weeks showing compliance in terms of the recommendations of the Central Ground Water Board and also showing what action has been taken by the Tahasildar, Puri, for relocation of the persons residing in the vicinity of the dump site whose lives may be seriously jeopardised by leachate of contaminants into the ground water.
The court directed the affidavit to be filed by the Puri Municipality within four weeks and listed the matter for May 10, 2024.
In the affidavit of the Puri Municipality, January 2, 2024, it was admitted by the state authorities that there are 3,000 households found to have been residing in the vicinity of the Baliapanda dumping yard encroaching upon the government land.