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The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on October 4, 2024 directed the authorities to submit their response on the use of water treated at the Bolinj sewage treatment plant (STP), which falls under the jurisdiction of the Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation in Maharashtra.
The court issued notices to the respondents, including the Maharashtra State Environmental Impact Assessment Authority, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the Vasai-Virar City Municipal Corporation, among others. The case is scheduled for its next hearing on December 9, 2024.
The application requested that the Vasai-Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVCMC) cease discharging treated water from Bolinj STP-2 into a local drain and instead use it for current and future private and government projects.
VVCMC has not developed a concrete action plan for the reuse of the treated water, which amounts to approximately 30 million litres per day (MLD) and is currently being discharged into the drain, the applicant further claimed.
Suggestions had been submitted via email on September 11, 2024 to the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board, Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation, the Urban Development Department, the Central Pollution Control Board and the Water Resource Development Department on ways to reuse the treated water from Bolinj STP Zone-2, the application stated.
The primary concern in the application addressed water scarcity in the Vasai-Virar region. The court noted that the applicant has argued that VVCMC is allowing treated water to go to waste by letting it flow into the drain, suggesting that this water could be repurposed for other uses.
It would be appropriate to explore the possibility of reusing the wastewater treated at Bolinj STP for non-potable purposes or any other suitable applications, the NGT said.
Amba Wala Talaab, a pond in Baraas village, Karnal district, Haryana, has been encroached upon by local residents, the Haryana State Pollution Control Board told the NGT in a report. The encroachment includes 13 animal sheds, seven residential houses, four shops and eight open yards.
The report, dated September 23, 2024, was uploaded to the NGT website on October 5, 2024.
At a meeting held by the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) of Karnal on August 7, 2024, it was decided that the Naib Tehsildar would submit a demarcation report of the pond, including details of the encroached areas. The authorities have been instructed to clear the waste, both liquid and solid and submit proof of the clean-up. Further action has been ordered for the removal of encroachments and the maintenance of the pond, with a report to be submitted.
A significant portion of the pond has been illegally encroached upon, reducing its area from about 4-5 acres to just 1 acre, according to the complaint. Despite this, no action has been taken by the authorities. Untreated sewage and other waste are being dumped into the pond, causing environmental damage and posing health risks to the local community.
In a report to the NGT on October 3, 2024, the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) stated the relevant authorities had been instructed to monitor the area and take preventive steps to stop the dumping of municipal solid waste near the banks of the Khothankudi canal.
An inspection had been carried out near the canal, which is surrounded by agricultural land, the report noted. No fresh solid waste was found at the site and the local authorities were directed to cease waste dumping near water bodies immediately, as per a letter dated August 4, 2024
The Block Development Officer for Nannilam taluk in Thiruvarur district confirmed that the solid waste generated in the Kaduvangudi panchayat area is now being collected and sent to compost centres for windrow composting. The local body has successfully cleared all waste previously dumped near the canal banks.