Lucknow, July 27 -- The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has taken serious note of regional rivers in Uttar Pradesh being classified as drains in a report submitted to it in an ongoing case related to prevention and control of pollution in the Ganga. The tribunal has acknowledged the risk of misclassifying seasonal or small rivers as drains and stressed on the need to conserve them for maintaining the Ganga's ecological balance. The issue came to light on July 23 when a bench of the NGT comprising chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava, Justice Sudhir Agarwal and expert member A Senthil Vel was hearing a petition related to preventing pollution in the Ganga and its tributaries and ensuring their cleanliness. During the hearing, the petitioner's lawyer said several rivers were shown as drains in the Uttar Pradesh report. For instance, the Baha river in Amroha, the Chhuiya in Hardoi, the Kali East in Hapur and the Sot river were mentioned as drains in the state government's report submitted to the NGT, the petitioner's lawyer said. At this, the tribunal stated that regardless of whether rivers are small or seasonal, they need to be protected because they help maintain the health and water balance of larger rivers like the Ganga. The NGT directed the state government to provide a list of rivers that have been described as drains and those that have been tapped (closed or connected to sewers). The tribunal has asked the state government to submit the report in four weeks. The court listed the case for the next hearing on September 4. Earlier this month, the NGT took serious note of pollution in the Gomti. Expressing concern over the condition of sewage treatment, pollution and water quality in the Gomti, the NGT has sought a response from the Uttar Pradesh government before July 28. The matter pertains to the discharge of untreated water and municipal waste in the Gomti river. The public interest litigation (PIL) was pending in the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court, which passed several orders. However, the high court transferred the PIL to the NGT on January 31, 2024. The tribunal has scheduled the next hearing for September 17. On sewage management, the tribunal pointed to the disclosure in the report that only 2.1 million of the total 5.21 million houses in 17 municipal corporations were connected to the sewerage system, and remarked that untreated sewage was being discharged into the environment....