Bhubaneswar: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Odisha government and regulatory authorities to strengthen the monitoring of groundwater contamination and ensure uninterrupted supply of safe drinking water to residents of mineral-rich Sukinda area in Jajpur district.
A series of directions were issued by NGT’s east zone bench recently in this regard. A bench of judicial member Arun Kumar Tyagi and expert member Ishwar Singh passed the directions while disposing of a petition filed by Mantu Das, a Jajpur-based social activist, who alleged that industrial activities, including chromite mining, had severely polluted groundwater and exposed local residents to serious health risks.
A joint committee constituted by the tribunal had found that the extent of contaminant transmission in groundwater required further investigation, it said. During the hearing, advocates Sankar Prasad Pani and Ashutosh Padhy appeared for the petitioner, while special counsel Padmesh Mishra represented the state government.
Citing an affidavit filed by the Jajpur collector, the NGT recorded that a mega piped water supply project in Sukinda block was fully functional and safe drinking water complying with BIS standards was being supplied through functional household tap connections.
It also noted that as many as 22 contaminated hand pumps in the region had been permanently sealed in December 2025.
The bench further observed that the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) study detected hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] levels above the permissible limit of 0.05 mg/l in 37 groundwater samples during the pre-monsoon period and 28 samples during the post-monsoon season.
While the CGWB has not identified the causes, the district magistrate and collector of Jajpur has not mentioned the remedial measures taken pursuant thereto, it observed.
The tribunal directed the principal secretary of the Forest, Environment and Climate Change department, Jajpur collector and the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation (RWSS) division to expand and strengthen safe drinking water schemes.
It also ordered periodic testing of supplied water, identification and closure or treatment of contaminated wells and hand pumps, installation of arsenic removal plants in affected villages, and regular inspection of effluent treatment systems in chromite mining industries.