New Delhi, Jul 27 The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has sought a response from the Delhi government and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) after taking note of reports indicating that around 15 per cent of groundwater samples collected from across the capital are contaminated with uranium.
A bench of NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava and Expert Member Afroz Ahmad had earlier taken suo motu cognisance of a newspaper report regarding detection of uranium in breast milk in some districts of Bihar.
In a recent order, the tribunal took note of another newspaper report citing a Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) study titled 'Annual Ground Water Quality Report 2025', which found that 24 out of 83 groundwater samples collected from various places across Delhi exceeded permissible uranium parameters.
"The study shows that while most groundwater in India is safe, certain regions face rising uranium levels, emphasising the need for regular monitoring and local mitigation measures to protect drinking water quality and health," the bench said, quoting the report.
It noted that the report, citing the study, identified north-western India, specifically Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, and parts of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh as the "hotspot" of uranium contamination, attributing it to geogenic factors (natural processes that contribute uranium in groundwater), depletion of groundwater and specific aquifer characteristics.
The tribunal impleaded the DPCC and principal secretary (Environment) of the Delhi government as parties or respondents, issuing notices to them.
The tribunal has posted the matter for further proceedings on September 24.
