CPCB informs NGT: NCR suffers the country's worst ozone pollution levels
The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has informed the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that the National Capital Region (NCR) is the worst impacted in the country by high levels of ground-level ozone (O3) pollution, followed by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). The CPCB's analysis, based on a survey of 10 major regions, found that in 2023, 25 out of 57 ambient air quality monitoring stations in the NCR exceeded the permissible national eight-hour standard for ozone by more than 2%. This figure compares to 22 out of 45 stations in Mumbai exceeding the same standard.
Ground-level ozone, a toxic gas that can cause severe health problems, is formed through complex photochemical reactions involving precursor pollutants. The CPCB attributed the persistently high levels in the NCR and MMR primarily to emissions from the transport sector, power plants, and industrial activities, which contribute significantly to the overall Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) emission load. The analysis showed that when comparing the more stringent one-hour standard, four stations each in NCR and MMR exceeded the limit in 2023. More worryingly, a study from April-July 2024 showed 21 NCR stations exceeded the one-hour standard, while none in Mumbai did.
In response to the NGT, which took suo motu cognisance of the issue, the CPCB confirmed that the Union Environment Ministry is in the process of forming an expert committee to comprehensively study the health impacts of this rising ozone pollution. This committee, expected to be formed before the next hearing on November 11, will address the toxic nature of ground-level ozone, which, unlike the beneficial stratospheric ozone, is a highly reactive substance that can lead to health issues like coughing, throat irritation, and chest pain. (Hindustan Times)
Plea at NGT contests Haryana's policy that limits what qualifies as 'forest'
The NGT has issued a formal notice to the Haryana Government concerning its August 18, 2025, notification, which seeks to limit the legal meaning of "forest." This ruling was prompted by a petition that accuses the state of contravening multiple Supreme Court judgments and posing a severe risk to environmental protection. Filed by Capt. (Retd.) Devender Singh Bamel, the petition argues that the new definition gravely endangers the Aravalli ecosystem and jeopardizes India's global efforts to combat climate change. Consequently, the NGT has ordered Haryana and its Forest Department to submit a detailed affidavit one week prior to the December 1, 2025, hearing.
The core concern of the petition is that the notification could lead to the declassification of 67% of Haryana’s forests, primarily benefiting real estate expansion and dramatically speeding up deforestation. The legal basis for the challenge rests on established law, including the Supreme Court’s definitive T.N. Godavarman ruling (1997), which unequivocally states that the definition of forest cannot be diluted by state authorities. Additionally, the plea stresses that the policy directly impedes the success of the Aravalli Green Wall Project, a major conservation initiative aimed at restoring regional ecosystems and fighting desertification.
In its appeal to the NGT, the plea strongly urges the notification’s immediate quashing, citing its violation of critical statutes and environmental ethics, including the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, and the public trust doctrine. Environmental specialists warn that by risking unchecked development in sensitive open forests, the state's action would undermine India's National Forest Policy goal of 33% forest cover and could severely compromise the nation's credibility on international climate change leadership. (Law Beat)
Thousands of dead fish in Yamuna spark NGT action; CPCB asked to coordinate states
The NGT initiated action on the mass death of thousands of fish in the Yamuna River at Burari on July 4, 2024, an event that created a severe public nuisance due to the resultant odor. The incident was attributed to the sudden influx of highly polluted water, specifically untreated industrial effluents, which entered the river through drains and drastically depleted the dissolved oxygen levels. The Tribunal intervened after observing that Delhi and Haryana authorities were engaged in shifting responsibility for the chemical contamination onto each other.
To resolve the inter-state dispute, the NGT, in its September 17, 2025, order, directed the CPCB Member Secretary to immediately convene a joint meeting of all concerned Delhi and Haryana authorities. This meeting’s mandate is twofold: to fix clear accountability for the pollution incident and to develop a comprehensive plan to prevent similar occurrences in the future. The Tribunal also explicitly rejected the NMCG's attempt to avoid responsibility, underscoring that its legal obligations for river rejuvenation extend fully to the Yamuna, a major tributary of the Ganga.
The NGT’s directive squarely places the onus for effective, coordinated action on the CPCB, which has been ordered to file a compliance report within eight weeks detailing the mechanism established and the responsibilities assigned. This intervention highlights the critical need for cooperative federalism to address systemic failures in river pollution control, serving as a powerful message that statutory bodies cannot evade legal accountability for the environmental degradation of the Yamuna. (Law Beat)
Nearly 3,800 illegal borewells in Delhi were shut by residents, the DJB reports to the NGT
Out of the 4,033 illegal borewells in the Capital, around 3,800 have already been shut by residents, as per an action taken report submitted by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB).
The report, dated September 9 and submitted to National Green Tribunal (NGT), addressed the issue of the illegal borewells in compliance with the NGT order on May 28 this year. “In particular, the tribunal found that categorising all 4,033 borewells under one vague head was unsatisfactory and directed DJB to clarify how identified borewells became untraceable and to verify the place and manner of closure of those stated to be closed,” the report mentioned.
Following the NGT order, DJB found that 3,875 of the illegal borewells had already been closed by the residents themselves and no longer existed. “In these cases, the borewell structures have been dismantled or filled up voluntarily, prior to or during the investigation,” DJB had said. Besides, another 153 were found untraceable due to incorrect or incomplete addresses of the premises, DJB informed. Only five of the borewells, all located in southeast Delhi, as per DJB data, were discovered to have obtained valid approval from the District Level Advisory Committee (DLAC). These borewells, though initially flagged as illegal, have been regularised through proper permissions.
Delhi water minister Parvesh Verma, in August, had said that DJB is setting up an enforcement team to curb illegal borewells across the city and will soon introduce a clear, practical policy for their regularisation. The policy, he had said, will address the broader issues of the water crisis, borewell sealing, and water supply problems in unauthorized colonies. (Hindustan Times)
Himachal Department fights road closure in Simbalbara Park, citing tribal rights and feasibility
The Himachal Pradesh Forest and Wildlife Department has strongly argued before the NGT that the 12-km-long Puruwala-Simbalbara road within the Simbalbara National Park (Col. Sher Jung National Park) is an essential lifeline for the local tribal community. The department's submission counters an applicant's claim that the road's use, particularly by heavy vehicles, is degrading the park's rich biodiversity, which includes Sambar deer and elephants. The Forest Department maintained that the road's closure or diversion is neither feasible nor justified for the residents of Pillodi, a village located inside the park.
The department emphasized the socio-economic necessity of the road, noting that approximately 90% of Pillodi's 2,253 residents belong to Scheduled Tribes (ST). The Puruwala-Simbalbara road is the sole direct and reliable connectivity route for these tribals to access vital services in Majra and Paonta Sahib, including markets, healthcare, and education. Furthermore, the submission stated that relocating the 386 families would require a substantial land bank, which the state cannot provide due to negligible availability of non-forest government land in Himachal Pradesh, where over two-thirds of the area is under forest cover.
Responding to the allegations of ecological harm, the Forest Department clarified that traffic on the 9 km stretch inside the park is restricted to local community use, with no commercial or industrial activity permitted. It further countered claims of serious adverse impact on biodiversity, noting that recent tiger sightings and frequent elephant movements indicate a healthy and recovering ecosystem, which negates the presumption of serious disturbance caused by the long-standing, low-impact rural road. The department urged the NGT to view the road's role as limited to subsistence-based connectivity, not commercial exploitation. (The Indian Express)
This is a roundup of policy updates from September 16, 2025 to September 30, 2025. Read our news updates here