NGT fines HP officials for not disclosing action against polluting sewage treatment plants
National Green Tribunal
(NGT) has imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 each on Himachal Pradesh State Pollution Control Board (HPSPCB) state chief secretary and member secretary for not disclosing any action taken against sewage treatment plants (STPs) that are polluting rivers.
In a recent order, NGT chairperson Prakash Shrivastava directed the chief secretary to file a report within a week and asked the HPSPCB member secretary to inform it when the report was submitted. During the previous hearing in March, the tribunal observed that many STPs in the catchment area of Sukhna Khad and Ashwani Khad were not complying with environmental norms, and hence environmental compensation should be imposed against them.
The tribunal also ordered the HPSPCB to submit a fresh report disclosing details on the environmental compensation imposed against the project proponents running the STPs, which are not complying with environmental norms. During the same hearing, the tribunal observed that the chief secretary, in his report, did not disclose STP-wise details regarding installed capacity and capacity utilisation.
In May last year, NGT directed the chief secretary to file a report on STPs in the catchment area of nine rivulets, which are getting polluted due to the discharge of industrial effluents.
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The tribunal also ordered the chief secretary to disclose in the report the results of the analysis of samples collected from these STPs.
Acting suo moto, the tribunal had in Jan last year asked the state chief secretary to file a report on pollution levels in nine rivulets — Ashwani Khad, Giri, Markanda, Pabbar, Ratta, Shikari Khad, Baald, Sarsa, and Sukhna Khad.
The tribunal also asked the chief secretary to file his response on the govt's action plan to clean these rivulets.
The tribunal observed that the water quality assessed by the Central Pollution Control Board at 137 locations across 37 rivers and rivulets in the state revealed disturbing trends due to the unregulated disposal of industrial effluents and untreated sewage.
NGT also noted that biological oxygen demand (BOD) level in the nine rivulets exceeded prescribed pollution standards, posing a threat to public health, agriculture, and biodiversity.
As per a report submitted to the tribunal by CPCB, there are 15 STPs installed in catchment areas of six of the nine rivers. There are no STPs in the catchments of Shikari Khad in Rohru and Giri river and Markanda Khad in Sirmaur. The report revealed that most of these STPs are operating without consent to operate (CTO) and violating environmental norms.
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