High Court Steps In on Sabarmati Sewage Crisis
The Gujarat High Court issued a show cause notice to the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation on June 20, directing it to explain why untreated sewage had been discharged directly into the Sabarmati river for a period exceeding four months, in apparent violation of the consent conditions granted by the Gujarat Pollution Control Board.
The Trigger: Ground Surveys and Media Reporting
The Court’s notice came on the basis of a petition filed by a Ahmedabad-based environmental rights organisation, supported by reports — including coverage in Sandesh — documenting the discharge at two points near Vatwa and Pirana, where stormwater drains connected to sewage collection lines had been diverted due to pump station failures at the Pirana Sewage Treatment Plant.
The Civic Body’s Response
The AMC’s initial response to the petition acknowledged the pump station failures but attributed the delay in rectification to procurement delays in sourcing replacement pump parts. The High Court found this explanation to be inadequate, observing that a four-month delay in addressing a systemic discharge of untreated sewage into a public water body — which serves as a habitat for protected species and is the lifeline of Ahmedabad’s ecology — reflected a significant failure of institutional priority.
What Has Been Ordered
The Court directed the Corporation to submit a detailed affidavit within three weeks providing: (1) the exact quantity of untreated sewage discharged; (2) the remedial action plan with specific completion dates; and (3) details of what interim measures were or were not taken during the four-month period. Failure to comply with the timeline in the affidavit will be treated as contempt.