Panchajanya Batra Singh Leads Legal Battle Against Pollution in Agra Canal
Faridabad: As the world gears up for the 2024 Paris Olympics, River Seine may host a few events. Other European rivers too like the Thames and Rhine continue to draw tourists. The Yamuna River and its connected water bodies closer to home remain neglected and polluted. A glaring example of this neglect is the UP Agra Canal, which passes through Faridabad and receives water from the Yamuna.
The Agra Canal has become a dumping ground for city waste. Municipal solid waste, construction debris, plastic, and even biomedical waste are routinely discarded along its banks, particularly near Tigaon Road. Residents report that tankers empty sewage into the canal under the cover of night, exacerbating the contamination. The banks of the canal have become a makeshift parking lot for these tankers and a marketplace for construction material vendors.
Despite numerous complaints and petitions to the National Green Tribunal (NGT), local authorities continue to pass responsibility from one department to another. The Municipal Corporation of Faridabad (MCF) oversees the area, but the land adjacent to the canal is under the jurisdiction of the UP government, complicating enforcement and clean-up efforts.
Faridabad’s final development plan for 2031 envisions a green belt along the canal. However, as per a Haryana government notification dated March 14, 2018, the designated site for solid waste disposal for Faridabad is in District Gurugram. Despite aspirations to transform Faridabad into a smart city, significant environmental challenges remain.
Social activist and advocate Panchajanya Batra Singh states that public-spirited parties have brought the matter before the principal bench of the NGT, seeking relief from the indiscriminate dumping along the canal. Singh highlights the dire need for a permanent solution, noting that residential colonies and schools are located near the canal, and the adjoining road experiences heavy traffic through the area.
With the monsoon season approaching, puddles of stagnant water are likely to increase, raising concerns about potential outbreaks of diseases such as dengue and malaria. Although the NGT has previously directed authorities to take corrective actions—including diverting sewage to treatment plants, rejuvenating ponds, desludging, and preventing waste burning—the on-ground situation remains grim. Water quality in the canal continues to be substandard, and residents of Faridabad eagerly await the cleaning and beautification of the area.
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