The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed Central Water Commission to submit a report on the increasing pollution in the Singrauli region of Madhya Pradesh and Sonbhadra region of Uttar Pradesh.

At today’s hearing, the petitioner informed the bench headed by Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel that the pollution due to illegal mining in Singrauli and Sonbhadra has created emergency like situation and six villages in the areas have been badly affected by the mining activities.

Earlier, a committee formed by NGT had informed it that the groundwater in the villages near Singrauli was contaminated with high mercury and fluoride concentration.

The bench was hearing a plea by Ashwani Dubey opposing power projects in Singrauli and Sonebhadra alleging that grave illnesses were being caused owing to toxic waste from coal mining and pollutants from thermal power stations.

—India Legal Bureau