Green Tribunal Seeks Authorities' Reply On Waterlogging At Noida Techie Death Site

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has initiated suo motu proceedings in response to the tragic drowning of software engineer Yuvraj Mehta in a severely waterlogged trench at a commercial site in Noida.

The incident, which occurred in the early hours of January 17 led to the death of 27-year-old Mehta, a resident of Tata Eureka Park in Sector 150. Mehta, who worked as a software professional in Gurugram, was driving home through dense fog when his SUV veered off the road, collided with a boundary wall, and plunged into a deep, water-filled pit - described in reports as approximately 70 feet deep. He reportedly remained trapped and alive for nearly 90 minutes, making desperate calls to his father and crying for help, but succumbed to drowning, asphyxiation, and cardiac failure.

Investigations found the site had transformed into a stagnant pond over the past decade due to accumulated rainwater and untreated wastewater discharge from nearby residential societies. A storm water management plan proposed by the Irrigation Department as early as 2015 - including the installation of a head regulator to regulate water flow - was not implemented, exacerbating chronic waterlogging and turning the location into a hazardous death trap, especially during foggy winter nights with poor visibility, inadequate signage and missing barricades.

The NGT, recognising the environmental violations linked to improper wastewater discharge, untreated stormwater accumulation and failure to address persistent waterlogging, has impleaded the following authorities as respondents:

- Noida Authority
- Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board
- Irrigation Department, Government of Uttar Pradesh
- Principal Secretary, Environment, Government of Uttar Pradesh
- District Magistrate, Gautam Budh Nagar, Noida  

All respondents have been directed to file their replies by way of affidavit, addressing the causes of the waterlogging, compliance with environmental laws, implementation status of the 2015 storm water plan, and steps to prevent recurrence. Replies must be submitted at least one week before the next hearing, scheduled for April 10.

The case comes amid widespread outrage over the incident. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath ordered a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe, and the CEO of Noida Authority, Lokesh M, was removed from his post. A real estate firm CEO was arrested, and multiple FIRs have been registered.

The tribunal's move underscores that such preventable tragedies, rooted in environmental negligence, fall squarely within the jurisdiction of laws like the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, and the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.

The matter will now proceed as an original application before the NGT, with potential directives for remedial measures, compensation, and long-term infrastructure fixes to avert similar incidents.