Control water pollution or face ₹10 lakh fine a month from April, Chandigarh MC warned

The Chandigarh Pollution Control Committee (CPCC) on Tuesday warned the municipal corporation to reduce pollutants in water discharged from sewerage treatment plants (STPs) or pay environmental compensation of ₹10 lakh every month from April 1, as directed by the National Green Tribunal.

According to the CPCC report, the BOD levels in all STPs under MC must be below 30 milligrams per litre (mg/l). Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) indicates the amount of decaying matter in water. However, BOD level of Raipur Kalan STP was detected at 104 mg/l, with the highest recorded at Raipur Khurd at 123 mg/l.

The report stated it was evident from the data that the condition of these STPs had deteriorated in terms of prescribed norms.

“Despite numerous directions from NGT and CPCC, STPs in Chandigarh are not meeting with requisite norms. Hence, MC is requested to take remedial action to achieve the target pollution norms otherwise environment compensation will be levied upon from April 1 as per NGT directions,” read the report

Despite such CCPC warnings in the past, MC has failed to resolve the matter as experts say the civic body’s processes are too slow. Even as the MC commissioner ordered installation of an aeration system, among other remedial measures and approached the Nagpur-based National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (for help, there has been no major difference in quality parameters of these STPs, the report added.

CPCC is pressing MC to bring down BOD levels as the pollutants present in treated sewerage water are being discharged into the city’s seasonal rivulets and then on to the Ghaggar river.

Part of the treated water is meant for maintaining the city’s greenery. It is also mandatory for people owning houses of one kanal or more to take tertiary water connections to prevent use of potable water for irrigating lawns.