HC asks Punjab to deposit ₹12 crore; CPCB to conduct tests at all STP plants
The Punjab and Haryana high court has directed the Punjab government to deposit ₹12 crore with high court registry and also asked the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to conduct tests at all sewage treatment plants (STPs) in Punjab to check pollution levels in the water being discharged from these plants.
The Punjab and Haryana high court has directed the Punjab government to deposit ₹12 crore with high court registry and also asked the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to conduct tests at all sewage treatment plants (STPs) in Punjab to check pollution levels in the water being discharged from these plants.
The court also instructed the state authorities to take immediate steps to stop diversion of the untreated sewage alongside schools, educational and medical institutions, and has sought a status report on the same by September 30.
The directions from the high court bench of justice Vinod S Bhardwaj came as during court proceedings it came to light that statistics and claims made before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and the court do not match.
While the court was told that total capacity of the STPs established in the state is 2,096 megalitres and the upfront discharge of urban areas is 1,898 megalitres. However, the state had submitted to the NGT that the sewage generation in June this year was reported as 2,219.91 megalitres, while the sewage treatment capacity was mentioned as 1,905.85 megalitres.
It was also claimed to the NGT that 128 STPs are installed in 94 towns, but the court affidavit mentions that only 122 STPs are functional. Though claims were made verbally that 128 STPs were made operational with a total sewage treatment capacity of 1,906 megalitres.
The court observed that while the data before NGT was submitted in June, it was submitted in August before the court. The treatment capacity is also shown to be less. The court also noted that even though that state had been claiming that there was no shortage of funds, an affidavit by DC, Mohali, talked about lack of resources.
The court observed that the state’s advocate general also is not disputing that as per the earlier test reports, the sample analysis showed a failure of near 30% of the samples drawn from different STP’s. He, however, contends that in the latest samples that had been drawn, the failure was only to the extent of 10%.
On the other hand, the petitioner’s counsel, Aman Sharma had submitted that the statistics furnished by the authorities might not be outrightly acceptable and that an independent assessment of the treated discharge be undertaken. Hence, now court has roped in CPCB.
As per the order, ₹12 crore is to be kept as security for implementation of any suggestion that may be made by the CPCB. The board has been told to constitute teams of experts to collect samples from all 128 STPs and the results be placed before the court, the bench ordered.
It also directed that the process of cleaning, chlorination and fumigation of the stagnant water in rural areas, where the STPs have not been installed so far and the discharge is being thrown in open, would also be undertaken without any delay by the authorities.
How matter reached court
Initially, the matter was taken to court by St Stephen’s School located at Togan village in Mohali, in January 2022. The school said that it had been facing serious problems of solid waste and sewer waste accumulation since 2022.
The waste is being accumulated because residents of Togan village have joined their sewer connections with the rainwater pipeline laid by authorities. Because of this, a 100 feet wall of the school has fractured, and stagnant water is posing health and safety risk for 750 students at the school.
Response was sought from the authorities, but court was informed that discharge of the sewage water along with school gate must be undertaken under the compulsive circumstances as there is no land available with the state to make an appropriate arrangement or to construct STPs for discharge.
“Such an explanation cannot be accepted as a justification for open discharge of untreated waste, especially when such discharge is prohibited is an environmental hazard. When the country is aiming to put an end to open defecation, the very purpose gets defeated if the state discharges the same in open areas,” the court had remarked during hearing of the case on July 22 and asked the chief secretary to intervene.
“The State cannot run away from its obligation for making appropriate arrangements for treatment of the sewage waste and certainly cannot be permitted to allow stagnation of sewage in open areas and more so along the school,” the court had further remarked and sought details about all STPs.