The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has observed that the huge wastage of water in the use of RO purifiers needs to be stopped only to further the commercial interests of companies at the cost of public interest. The NGT directed the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) to issue notification without delay to ban RO purifiers in areas where the total dissolved solids (TDS) level in water is less than 500 mg per liter.
The NGT said it was not expected that the MoEF would take years to finalize the matter and repeatedly sought adjournment and extension which is against the rule of law. It may be noted that the RO (treatment) requirement is to separate the total dissolved solids (TDS) found in groundwater. The wastage of water in the use of RO has been termed unacceptable by the NGT.
The green panel said that precious water is being wasted only to further commercial interests. This trend must be stopped. The longer the delay on the part of the Ministry in this work, the more the purpose of stopping it will be affected. This amounts to an action against the interest of the environment. A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel directed the Ministry of Environment and Forests to ensure further action positively before the next date.