Now Reading: Delhi HC orders safety walls on Abul Fazal drain after teen’s death
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Delhi HC orders safety walls on Abul Fazal drain after teen’s death
The Delhi High Court has directed the MCD to build separator walls and install slab covers on the Abul Fazal drain, one of the city's largest open drains. The order came days…
The Delhi High Court has directed the MCD to build separator walls and install slab covers on the Abul Fazal drain, one of the city's largest open drains. The order came days after a 15-year-old boy died falling into the drain in Jasola, and after the court examined photographs showing the stretch lacked adequate protection.
A special bench of Justices Prathiba M Singh and Manmeet P S Arora expressed extreme concern about safety hazards. MCD told the court it had not built the wall because Uttar Pradesh's irrigation department had not given a no-objection certificate. The court ordered construction to proceed without waiting for the NOC.
The court also flagged untreated sewage flowing into the Yamuna. Delhi Jal Board informed the court that 28 sewage treatment plants are fully operational, while nine are being upgraded with a target completion between December 2027 and May 2028. The court directed that separate drains for treated water be given top priority.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The Abul Fazal drain is part of the 200-km network of major stormwater drains in Delhi that were originally designed to carry only rainwater but now receive a large volume of untreated sewage and industrial effluent. A 2019 report by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee found that 18 of the city's 21 major drains discharge untreated sewage directly into the Yamuna. The high court has been monitoring the river pollution and waterlogging issues through a special bench since 2017. Its order to bypass the Uttar Pradesh irrigation department's NOC requirement underscores the urgency. The concrete next step is MCD's compliance report on the separator wall, due at the next hearing.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
