Apex court raises alarm over plastic waste in water bodies

The Supreme Court has voiced serious concerns over the unchecked dumping of plastic and other waste materials into India’s water bodies, warning that this pollution is causing significant environmental degradation and harming aquatic life.

A bench of justices Hrishikesh Roy and SVN Bhatti emphasised that without a unified effort from authorities and the cooperation of the public, any attempts to address illegal constructions and improve water quality in rivers, including the Ganga, will remain “illusory.”

“The dumping of plastic is causing serious environmental degradation and also impacting aquatic life in the riverbanks and the water bodies in the country. Unless concerted effort is made by the responsible authorities with people’s cooperation, irrespective of the efforts to target illegal/unauthorized constructions, the desired improvement of the quality of the water in river Ganga/all other rivers and water bodies in the country will remain illusory,” stated the bench in its August 2 order.

The court granted additional solicitor general (ASG) Aishwarya Bhati, who appeared for the Union of India and National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), four weeks to file an affidavit addressing the environmental concerns outlined in the order. Additionally, the state of Bihar, represented through advocate Azmat Hayat Amanullah, has been instructed to submit an affidavit within the same timeframe, detailing the steps it has taken to address unauthorised constructions along the Ganga River in and around Patna.

The directive was issued after advocate Akash Vashishtha, appearing for petitioner Ashok Kumar Sinha, highlighted the problem of indiscriminate dumping of plastic in the Ganga and other water bodies in the country. Vashishtha urged the bench to protect India’s natural resources from the twin threats of plastic pollution and unauthorised construction, both of which continue to endanger the nation’s water bodies.

This order follows a prior directive issued on December 1, 2023, where the court ordered the Bihar government to identify and remove unauthorised constructions adjacent to the Ganga. The state reported that it had identified 213 such illegal constructions, and efforts were underway to remove these encroachments.

On August 2, the Bihar government requested for a clarification of the 2023 order, which had held that “no further construction” will take place adjacent to the river Ganga, particularly in and around the city of Patna. ASG Bhati and Amanullah pointed out that the original wording of the court’s December 1, 2023 order might be misconstrued because it did not clarify that only unauthorised and illegal constructions were being condemned.

Accepting their plea, the bench clarified: “The state shall ensure no further illegal construction or unauthorised encroachment takes place adjacent to the river Ganga, particularly in and around the City of Patna.”

Simultaneously, the bench expanded the scope of Sinha’s petition amid growing concern over the environmental health of India’s rivers and water bodies and demanded detailed affidavits from both the Centre and the state.