The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has sought a reply from the authorities, including the Delhi government and the commissioner of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), in a matter regarding an alleged death due sewer gas leak.
The NGT was hearing a plea by the deceased’s wife alleging her husband had died in an explosion in Delhi's Uttam Nagar area on April 4, 2023. She said her husband had fallen victim to a sewer gas leak from a pipeline, where a large amount of gas had accumulated, which caught fire when he switched on a plug.
In an order passed on October 17, a bench of NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava referred to plea and said the explosion was of a very high magnitude and the street underneath which the sewer line was running through burst and caved in.
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The bench, also comprising judicial member Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and expert member A Senthil Vel, noted the submissions of the petitioner’s counsel who relied on the post-mortem report of the man. According to the finding, the man died of burn injuries by the ignition of the leaked gas from the sewer.
The gas was found to be hydrogen sulphide, a hazardous chemical under the Manufacture, Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemical Rules.
"Issue notice to the respondents for filing their response/reply..." the tribunal said.
The respondents in the matter are the Delhi government, MCD commissioner, the district magistrate concerned, the Delhi Jal Board and the Delhi Fire Service.
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The matter has been posted for further proceedings on February 7.
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