Untreated waste being discharged into rivers, SC expresses concern

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has expressed concern over the treatment of sewage generated in villages, towns and cities and said untreated waste is discharged into rivers and rivulets polluting the very sources of water upon which the survival of the population and bio diversity depends.

The top court asked the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to ensure that an accountable mechanism is set up in Uttar Pradesh to take stock of the performance of the sewage treatment plants (STPs), providing for adequate funds for upgrade and maintenance as required and for attending to all other administrative issues and problems.

Uttar Pradesh government said that total sewage generated in the state is 5500 MLD, which is one of the highest in the country and 100 per cent treatment of sewage in the state would be done by June 2025.

A bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and justices PS Narasimha and JB Pardiwala passed the order after hearing an application of Uttar Pradesh government seeking more time to install and operationalise 100 per cent STP coverage in the state.

The top court had on February 22, 2017 directed the states to adhere to the mandatory timelines for the setting of common effluent treatment plants and STPs within a period of three years for treatment of untreated wastes generated in different villages, cities an towns.

The Uttar Pradesh government contended in its application that timelines which were provided by the court in 2017 “are impractical and artificial and impossible to implement in the time frame, given present funding and institutional capacities and other competitive priorities of the state”.

The state government said that the total sewage generated in Uttar Pradesh is 5500 Million Litres Per Day (MLD) and it has operational 122 STPs with a treatment capacity of 3860 MLD, 52 STPs with a treatment capacity of 1004 MLD are under construction and are to be commissioned by December 2024.