New Delhi: The National Green Tribunal’s closure order to 34 restaurants in Hauz Khas Village has cast the spotlight on a thousand others which may also be discharging untreated waste water and grease into city sewers. The Delhi Pollution Control Committee has no count of how many restaurants have obtained its consent. “We are in process of compiling the data,” said an official. But restaurant owners and trader associations say few restaurants have taken consent or installed effluent treatment plants. Every restaurant needs a “consent to establish” and a “consent to operate” from DPCC. “The consent to operate involves some paperwork and effluent parameters are tested. Restaurants need to pay a fee to DPCC for the analysis and often for monitoring of effluents for the next five years. DPCC issues a licence after that,” says Prakul Kumar, secretary general, National Restaurant Association of India. As per DPCC rules, any restaurant with fewer than 36 seats has to have a grease trap and one with more than 36 seats needs to instal an effluent treatment plant. “I am not sure how many restaurants in Delhi have taken consent from DPCC but our association has been telling all members to comply,” Kumar said. NRAI has approached MoEF and DPCC to raise the size criterion for ETPs from 36-seater restaurants to 100-seater ones. “DPCC’s permission is a must and we know that. Many of our restaurants are on the first floor where installing an ETP is difficult. We are quite worried and want to make sure we comply with all requirements. The plan of constructing ETPs is also linked to the Khan Market redevelopment plan,” said Sanjiv Mehra, president of Khan Market Traders Association. Aseem Grover, a restaurant owner in Khan Market and member of KMTA, added that DPCC staff has briefed them and NDMC is trying to integrate these aspects in the Khan Market redevelopment plan. “Most of the restaurants here have grease traps and ETPs and our larger plan is to make the sewer lines bigger and increase their carrying capacity,” he said. “We mainly have fast food joints here, so they don’t need ETPs. Most have grease traps,” said Pramod Sharma of Sarojini Nagar Market Association. Scientists and water experts said that discharging untreated waste water can have a serious impact on both sewers and lake or river water. “Grease has a clogging effect in sewers. Food waste will further block them. Some restaurants also discharge chemicals which can have a harmful effect. So there can be no question of discharging water without treating it,” AK Gosain, professor of civil engineering, IIT Delhi, said. Discharge from restaurants also has a lot of organic matter which increases the biochemical oxygen demand in water. It also releases nitrogen which can be very bad for lakes, AK Mittal, associate professor, IIT Delhi, said.