Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Monday, June 8, observed that preventing drinking water pollution is a collective responsibility of all government departments, calling it a critical public health issue that cannot be left to a single agency.
A bench of Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice GM Mohiuddin stressed the need to ensure that water supplied to the public is free from contamination, noting that pollution extends beyond bacterial presence to include hazardous metals.
The court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) taken up on the basis of a letter prompted by a newspaper report on the deteriorating state of the city’s water bodies.
All departments must act, court tells GHMC, others
The bench observed that other departments could not remain indifferent by claiming the issue fell solely within the jurisdiction of the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB). It directed all concerned departments, including the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), to file detailed counter-affidavits.
The court also appointed senior advocate K Vivek Reddy as amicus curiae to assist it in the matter, taking note of the gravity of the situation.
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State says no sewage mix, bench unconvinced
State counsel told the High Court that the water board oversaw supply from both reservoirs and informed the bench that a counter-affidavit had already been filed on behalf of the Pollution Control Board. Counsel for the water board argued that sewage did not mix with the lakes and that water treatment plants were in place.
The bench, however, questioned how untreated sewage was being released into the lakes if that were the case.
Stating that no department could distance itself from the issue by claiming it was unrelated to water supply, the court passed the directions and adjourned the hearing to July 2.
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