NGT Impleads Delhi Government and DPCC Over High Uranium Levels in Groundwater

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Friday expanded the scope of its suo motu proceedings on uranium contamination by impleading the Delhi government and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) as co-respondents. This decision was made after the tribunal took note of a report highlighting elevated uranium levels in the groundwater of New Delhi, bringing urgent regulatory focus to water safety in the capital.

The principal bench of the tribunal was initially hearing a suo motu case that had been initiated on the basis of a news report regarding uranium detected in breast milk in six districts of Bihar. During these legal proceedings, the NGT also took judicial notice of a separate, critical report concerning groundwater contamination specifically in Delhi.

This Delhi-focused report was based on findings from the Central Ground Water Board’s (CGWB) Annual Ground Water Quality Report 2025. According to the CGWB data, 24 out of the 83 groundwater samples collected across Delhi exceeded the prescribed safe limits for uranium.

The report went on to identify northwestern India, which includes both Delhi and neighboring Haryana, as a major uranium contamination hotspot. The findings attributed this contamination primarily to geogenic factors, natural aquifer characteristics, and the ongoing depletion of groundwater resources in the region.

In response to these findings, the tribunal formally impleaded the DPCC through its member secretary and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi through its principal secretary of environment. The NGT Registry was directed to issue notices to these newly added parties.

The next hearing on the matter has been scheduled to take place on September 24, 2026.