The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has refused to extend the deadline for setting up of sewage treatment plants (STP) beyond September 2020 for the protection of the Bellandur, Varthur and Agara lakes.
A Bench headed by NGT chief Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel said, “If the work remains incomplete even till September 30, a compensation at the rate of ₹10 lakh per sewage treatment plant per month will be liable to be paid... to be recovered from the erring officers, apart from adverse entries in their service records and other adverse action.”
The green panel further observed that the fact that approximately 256 million litres of untreated sewage was entering Bellandur lake on a daily basis was a “criminal offence”, which needs to be tackled on a war footing.
While observing that the lake, which is said to be 130-year-old, is a habitat to several species of birds and aquatic life, the Bench said, “This [pollution] has also affected groundwater recharge. Waste dumping has resulted in foul stench around the lake. Major cause for foam formation is considered to be the discharge of untreated sewage through open drains.”
Noting that authorities have failed to take appropriate action, the Bench said, “Desilting of the lake has not been done from time to time nor have steps been taken to stop the flow of untreated sewage into the waterbodies. There is also failure to prevent dumping of municipal solid waste.”
The Tribunal further directed the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewage Board (BWSSB) to ensure that no effluent is discharged into the lakes till the STPs are installed and specified that a compensation of ₹5 lakh per month per inlet into the lakes will be levied in case of non-compliance.
“Sources of discharge be controlled or regulated and electricity and water supplies to the defaulting establishments be stopped for enforcement of law till remedial steps are taken for compliance. Encroachment which are still continuing be removed by using force wherever necessary,” the Bench said.
Additionally, the Karnataka State pollution control board was directed to develop a “robust water quality monitoring programme” to keep a check on the water quality of drains leading to the lakes.
