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Submit data on sewage in Ganga in a week or pay fine: Green court to UP

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has come down heavily on the UP government, its pollution control board and other agencies for delay in informing it about the quantum of domestic and industrial effluents discharged in the Ganga and warned of imposing exemplary cost on them if they did not do so within a week.

“By way of last opportunity, we grant one week time for the said purpose. We make it clear that if requisite status report and projected statement is not filed within this week, we will be compelled to impose a cost of Rs 50,000 on each of the concerned respondents, including State of UP,” a Bench, headed by NGT chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar, said.

During the proceedings, the counsel for the UP Jal Nigam said it was in the process of collecting segregated data and required some more time.

The Bench has posted the matter for the next hearing on April 5.

The NGT had asked the UP Pollution Control Board about the total quantity of domestic and industrial sewage discharge in the Ganga and its tributaries like Kali and Ramganga and directed it to submit a “commonly acceptable” data on the total waste.

The UPPCB had told the Bench that 31 towns are located in the state from Haridwar to Kanpur on the banks of the Ganga and its tributaries. While 20 towns are situated on the banks of the Ganga, eight are on Ramganga, while three on the bank of river Kali, it had said.

The board had also informed that these towns generated 544 million litre per day (MLD) of sewage, of which only 176.27 MLD joins Ganga after treatment while the remaining effluent flows directly into the river.

The NGT had on January 15 directed UP and Uttarakhand governments to identify seriously polluting industries located on the banks of Ganga and apprise it about “quantity and quality” of discharge in the river.
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