New Delhi: National Green Tribunal Friday slammed the authorities over the "pathetic" condition of rain- water harvesting system at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) flyover here.
A bench, headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar, directed the Environment Secretary of Delhi government to "immediately" call a meeting of all the public authorities and asked to inspect the AIIMS flyover and submit a status report.
"The committee shall visit the flyover on Saturday i.e May 9, 2015 at 11:00 am," the bench said while posting the matter for next hearing on May 25.
"It has also been brought to our notice that even the survey conducted by media, a pathetic situation with regard to the rainwater harvesting system is reported. It has been reported that rainwater harvesting at AIIMS flyovers is a complete waste and sewage is entering instead of rain water and the same is percolating to the earth.
"We are unable to ignore this situation and it is necessary that all the authorities should be directed to cooperate and work in a coordinated manner to ensure that all these flyovers have rainwater harvesting system, which function efficiently and effectively," the bench said.
It also said that the committee shall be the nodal committee for construction and/or maintenance of the rainwater harvesting system on all the flyovers and such others location on and around the roads in Delhi.
"This committee shall further appoint officers responsible for each zone of Delhi that is South, North, East and West," the Tribunal said.
The directions came while hearing a petition filed by Mehrauli resident Vinod Kumar Jain seeking directions to make it compulsory for all government building of 100 sq m and above to have rainwater harvesting through storage of rain water.
During the hearing, Jain contended that rainwater harvesting system is not being maintained properly and the very purpose of constructing such system stands defeated.
He further alleged that every public authority shifts its responsibility to the other on one pretext or the other and this process is depleting the ground water level.
The Environment Secretary informed the bench that he had written to various authorities with regard to maintenance of the rainwater harvesting system constructed in the government properties but did not get any response.
The Tribunal had in February directed city government and other authorities concerned to inspect all the 113 flyovers in the city and apprise it of the possibility of installing rainwater harvesting system.
