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The Uttarakhand High Court on Tuesday directed the Nainital District Magistrate to “set up a public helpline number within 24 hours and publicise the same”. Hearing the matter, the Court further directed the Regional Officer of the Uttarakhand Pollution Control Board, Nainital, to collect water samples from different sources in all affected villages and Nainital town and submit a report within a week. 

A Division Bench of Justice Manoj Kumar Tiwari and Justice Siddhartha Sah passed the directions while hearing Advocate Ravi Bisht's public interest litigation concerning the water contamination in parts of Nainital district. The PIL came before the Court and it was informed through news reports, that two persons had lost their lives and many others had been hospitalised due to contaminated drinking water in the vicinity of Nainital.

Subsequently, in its order dated September 7, 2026, the Court directed the District Magistrate, Nainital, Chief Medical Officer, Nainital, as well as officials from the Uttarakhand Jal Sansthan among others to remain physically present before it with a roadmap for “dealing with the menace caused due to contamination of drinking water and the spread of water-borne diseases in certain parts of District Nainital”.

Pursuant to that order, the District Magistrate, Chief Medical Officer, Nainital and other officials appeared before the Court on September 8, 2026. The District Magistrate informed the Bench that ₹4 lakh had been released from the untied fund for serological tests of infected persons through private pathology laboratories, and assured the Court that further funds would be released as per requirement. Moreover, the Chief Medical Officer apprised the Court of the steps taken till now by the Medical Department to deal with the epidemic caused by the contamination. 

The Court thereafter directed the agency responsible for maintaining the water supply pipelines to ensure that “no further contamination of drinking water takes place”. Furthermore, giving other pertinent directions, the Court held “the District Magistrate, Nainital is directed to monitor the relief work and also to ensure that all concerned departments work in a coordinated manner. District Magistrate shall setup a helpline number and publicise the same so that general public may register complaints regarding water contamination. Needful be done within 24 hours”.

Importantly, the Uttarakhand Pollution Control Board, Nainital, was directed to take samples of water from different water sources in Nanital as well as all affected villages and submit a report within a week. The District Magistrate assured the Court that clean, uncontaminated drinking water would be supplied in affected villages and schools through tankers. 

The Bench also directed the Secretary, Drinking Water to take a decision within four weeks on the proposal submitted by the Uttarakhand Jal Sanstha, for setting up a water testing laboratory in the Kumaon region. 

The matter has been listed for September 15, 2026. 

Case: Ravi Bisht Versus State of Uttarakhand & others [WPPIL No. 111 Of 2026]

Click Here To Read/Download Order



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