CPCB report on utilization of treated sewage, 15/05/2020
Status report on action plan on utilization of treated sewage submitted in compliance to National Green Tribunal order of September 11, 2019 passed in O.A. No. 148/2016 in the matter of Mahesh Chandra Saxena Vs South Delhi Municipal Corporation & Others.
The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in its recommendations to the NGT called for imposition of Rs 1 lakh per month as environmental compensation from December 1, 2019 till date on the following states/union territories for their failure to provide either no information or partial information. The states are the following:
1.Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab for their failure in not submitting any information
2.Assam, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Orissa and West Bengal have submitted very limited information in the action plan
3.Three states - Kerala (Thiruvananthapuram), Karnataka (Bengaluru), Telangana (Hyderabad) have only submitted city specific action plan. Action plan for treated sewage reuse in the state not provided.
4.Lakshadweep, Andaman & Nicobar, Sikkim and Tripura had cited local terrain and technical issues for not being able to plan use of treated sewage in their states and UTs.
Further, the CPCB recommended that states and UTs should be directed to implement action plan for utilization of treated sewage latest by 2023. And also estimate the quantity of sewage generated and provide adequate treatment capacity, which was a primary requirement for preparation of action plan for treated sewage. The CPCB report also called for identification of more bulk users and diversify on industrial usage.
Note: The report of May 15, 2020 was made online on May 18, 2020.