The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the authorities to ensure that no wastewater is discharged into Katahal drain, a stormwater drain in Ballia district, Uttar Pradesh, which joins River Ganga. The NGT has also directed that all efforts be made to use treated wastewater instead of discharging it into River Ganga.
20M liters daily untreated sewage in Ganga
According to the joint committee report of February 9, 2023, there is a daily discharge of about 20 million litres per day of untreated sewage in Ganga and there is no information about the performance of in-situ remediation claimed at six locations.
The joint committee has expressed dissatisfaction with the failure of the State Administration, particularly failure to hold erring officers accountable for wastage of public money and preventing damage to river Ganga.
The principal secretary of urban development unit has informed the court that seven hectares of land has been acquired and the tender has already been floated for construction of the sewage treatment plant (STP) and that the work of construction of STP will start with effect from November 15, 2023.
He also submitted that though the timeline for completion of work is 18 months, he will ensure that the construction of STP is completed and becomes functional much before that.
Further, the court was given the assurance that the complete time-frame, in respect of tackling the issue of solid waste management, management of legacy solid waste and sewage management will be provided by way of affidavit and he took personal responsibility to ensure that the said timeline will be adhered to.
The NGT has also taken note of the action taken report which stated the existence of a landfill zone near Surhatal Bird Sanctuary.
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