The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued directions to the state governments of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh along with other authorities to take a number of measures to arrest the declining native fish population in the Yamuna river and control the spread of exotic species.
The tribunal also directed the authorities to take strict penal action against those responsible for illegally releasing exotic species of fish into the river.
The order followed a suo motu case registered on the basis of a report highlighting the decline of native fish and the rise of exotic species. A 2024 report cited a study by the Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute (CIFRI), Prayagraj, which said fish in the Yamuna have been affected by climate change, with Indian species declining while foreign species are increasing.
The NGT’s main bench, comprising chairman Prakash Shrivastava and expert member A. Senthil Vel, also directed authorities to control pollution in the river, which has been identified as the main cause of decline in fish stocks.
“The Central Pollution Control Board, National Clean Ganga Mission and Delhi Jal Board are tasked with ensuring strict enforcement of effluent norms and compliance by urban local bodies discharging treated or untreated sewage and discharging solid waste into the Yamuna, as well as by industries discharging treated or untreated sewage,” the NGT order dated January 29 said.
The tribunal also ordered to speed up the installation and operation of sewage treatment plants in areas along the Yamuna to ensure that treated water meets standards suitable for aquatic life.
The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Central Water Commission and State Irrigation Departments have been asked to maintain minimum flow levels to support native fish breeding and migration. Authorities have also been ordered to regulate or ban sand mining that disrupts spawning and remove barriers or construct fish ladders at barrages like Wazirabad, Okhla and Hathnikund to help migration of species like Mahasheer.
The NGT has called for a ban on the breeding of highly invasive species such as the Thai mangrove (Clarias gariepinus) and the promotion of indigenous aquaculture through incentives for species including Catla, Rohu, Mrigal, Chital, Mahasheer and Eel.
Published – 02 Feb 2026 01:30 IST