The Delhi government on Monday banned the sale, storage, transportation and marketing of soaps and detergents found not in conformity with the latest BIS standards to check pollution in the Yamuna river.
Significantly, the National Green Tribunal had in January accepted the recommendations of a two-member expert committee, which suggested the Delhi government to ban the sale, storage and transportation and marketing of detergents found not to conform to the revised BIS standards. .
The NGT had also directed to launch an awareness campaign about the harmful effects of using substandard soaps and detergents.
The Delhi Pollution Control Committee, in an order issued on Monday, said that all concerned officials including local bodies, civil supplies department and district administration exercising control over shops and other establishments dealing with sale, storage, transport and marketing facilities of soap and detergents in Delhi should ensure adherence to the instructions through strict monitoring and surprise inspections.
The pollution control body has asked the concerned authorities to submit monthly action taken report of the inspections carried out and subsequent action taken. Experts have attributed soap and detergents to one of the major causes of pollution in the Yamuna river.
At times, visuals of toxic foam floating on the surface of the river in Delhi also dominate social media. According to an official of the Central Pollution Control Board, detergents used in dyeing industries, wash ghats, and households result in high phosphate content in the wastewater, which is the primary reason for the formation of toxic foam in the Yamuna.
News Source: IndiaToday
