Judicial Directives vs Ground Realities: Water Pollution Trends in Najafgarh Drain and Yamuna River (August 2019– August 2023)

Abstract

Background: The Yamuna River is a very important resource of water for the people of Delhi is 
still oneof the most polluted rivers in India.Najafgarh Drain (Sahibi River), which is its tributary, 
carries almost 60%of the pollution load in March- 2020. The National Green Tribunal gave strict 
order to stop illegal water pollutingindustries and made sure that effective treatment systems to 
workproperly. Then came the COVID-19lockdown which gave us a rare chance to study the effect 
of reduced human activity on water quality ofthe Yamuna River. 

Aim: This study looks at how well judicial orders worked to improve the water quality 
bycomparing pollution trends in Najafgarh Drain and the Yamuna River during the pre-COVID 
lockdownand post-lockdown periods. 

Methods: Monthly water quality data (COD, BOD, TSS for Najafgarh Drain and COD, BOD and 
DO for Yamuna) fromAugust 2019 to August 2023 were studied. We used basic statistics, time 
series, trends andinterrupted time series approach with March 2020 as the point when the judicial 
orders started. Wecompared the pollution trends with judicial orders to see the impact of 
enforcement. 

Results: There were some temporary improvement during April to July 2020 with COD and 
BODshowing a significant drop and DO in the Yamuna River going up to 4.2 mg/L for a brief 
period. However, theseimprovements did not last long. By 2021–2023, COD in the Yamuna 
Riverwent over 270 mg/L and BODexceeded 70 mg/L. Najafgarh drain showed COD over 350 
mg/L and BOD above 80 mg/L. DO in theYamuna dropped back to zero, showing the river was 
still in bad condition and required moreimprovements. Trends clearly showed that pollution of 
Najafgarh drain directly impacted waterquality of the river Yamuna and responsible for its bad 
condition. 

Conclusion: This study shows that there is still a big gap between judicial orders and real world 
results.Even though there were strong court orders, pollution worsened after 2021. This shows that 
legalorders alone can’t fix the problem. To improve things in the long run, we need better 
enforcement,monitoring and investment in working sewage treatment systems. Without these, the 
River Yamuna willcontinue to get worse, even with judicial action.