Conduct survey of households in Delhi’s unauthorised colonies: NGT panel

The direction was issued in a meeting held by the committee last week. The committee noted that the NGT had also directed in a September 11 order this year for a survey to be done, but the Delhi Jal Board and the Delhi Urban Development Department have not been forthcoming with the details. “The committee had over several months underscored the importance of collecting the disaggregated data, without which no strategies can be planned,” the document read.

The overall responsibility for the survey has been given to the Delhi Urban Development Department, which has to work with the DJB and municipal corporations for the task.

The survey would focus on a sample of colonies that are not connected to a sewer network and cover data on the number of houses, the population and the amount of septage released into drains or collected in tanks.

Even in the 436 colonies connected to a network, a number of houses have either not taken connections or have made unofficial ones, the monitoring committee was told. “The committee members regretted that (the survey) has been delayed for several months..,” the minutes read.