If the states have failed to implement the law, it is a breakdown of the system itself, National Green Tribunal has observed while hearing a petition related to river pollution.
The NGT has slammed Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana for failing to stop the discharge of untreated effluents in the Ghaggar river.
"If the states fail in implementing the law, it is nothing but the breakdown of the system itself," the Green Bench observed.
A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel said the three states and Chandigarh continue to contribute water pollution, which is a criminal offence.
The tribunal was hearing a plea against the failure of statutory authorities in Punjab and Chandigarh to install the necessary Sewage Treatment Plant, resulting in the discharge of pollution in the drain originating from Chandigarh.
"Water pollution is a serious threat to the health of the citizens as well as other living beings who consume the water and also to the food safety for growth of which the water is used for irrigation...there can be no justification whatsoever for the states to have failed in complying with the law.
"If the states find that they are unable to manage the sewage directly, there is no bar to other options being explored but there cannot be any justification not to comply with the mandate of law and protecting the health of the citizens in accordance with the Constitutional mandate," the bench said.
The NGT said the states should realise their responsibility to function according to the Constitution and take immediate remedial measures
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