Governance

Daily Court Digest: Major environment orders (April 3, 2023)

Down To Earth brings you the top environmental cases heard in the Supreme Court, the high courts and the National Green Tribunal

 
By DTE Staff
Published: Tuesday 04 April 2023
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Waste management Chhattisgarh

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) March 31, 2023 directed the chief secretary of Chhattisgarh to take further remedial measures to ensure compliance of solid waste management rules as well as setting up of necessary sewage management systems within stipulated timelines. 

In addition, ring-fenced amount of at least Rs 1,000 crore has to be set aside in terms of statement of the chief secretary, Chhattisgarh and such funds be kept as ‘non lapsable’, the court directed.

Legacy waste at seven urban local bodies should be remediated without further delay, NGT said. “Quantify remediated legacy waste, indicating that no legacy waste is remaining and reported in the next compliance report.”

Immediate efforts should be made for ensuring connectivity with sewage treatment plants (STP) and proposed STPs, the order said.

The bench expressed hope that the state of Chhattisgarh will take further measures in the matter by “innovative approach and stringent monitoring, ensuring that legacy waste as well as unprocessed waste and liquid waste generation and treatment are bridged at the earliest, shortening the proposed timelines, adopting alternative / interim measures to the extent and wherever found viable”.

Sewage polluting waterbodies in Central University, Telangana

Untreated sewage was getting dumped into the waterbodies located in the campus of the Central University, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, Telangana, according to a joint committee report. The committee was constituted on the orders of NGT January 3, 2023.

Untreated sewage and medical waste was being discharged into the Central University campus by the Sports Complex of Telangana and Telangana Institute of Medical Sciences (TIMS), and also from adjacent colonies, Devesh Nigam, registrar, University of Hyderabad, in his complaint to NGT, said.

NGT directed a joint committee to look into the grievance, visit the site, collect relevant information and submit factual as well as action taken, if any, report within two months. The officials of the University of Hyderabad informed the joint committee that four waterbodies, Peacock Lake, Chilakala Kunta, Gundla Kunta and Gunneru Kunta, are located within the premises of the University of Hyderabad (Central University).

The committee noted that the main source of water pollution in Peacock Lake was due to untreated sewage from a nallah and four drains passing from the TNGOs colony area into the Central University campus. 

The committee observed that a thin flow of untreated domestic sewage from upstream of TIMS was joining the Peacock Lake. 

The Joint Committee has also observed that the untreated sewage from Gopanapally village is joining the university campus and flowing into the Nallagandla lake from two points.

The joint committee in its report recommended that the Hyderabad Metro Water Supply and Sewerage Board shall take necessary measures to avoid untreated sewage entering into the premises of the University of Hyderabad by construction of interception and diversion structures or construction of sewage treatment plants for treatment and disposal of untreated sewage from residential areas entering into the university premises, which is joins the Peacock Lake and Nallagandla Lake.

Iron ore slurry pipeline projects of Keonjhar district

The NGT March 29 directed that the recommendations given in the joint committee report be taken into consideration regarding iron ore slurry pipeline projects of Keonjhar district in Odisha. 

An application was filed with the NGT against industrial pollution at Joda block of Keonjhar in Odisha. It was stated that River Suna is polluted as slurry pipe is being installed under the riverbed. Heavy machinery is being used to dig up the river for transporting slurry of mines and minerals, leading to pollution, the application stated. 

Such a step will result in blockage of sewerage and riverine systems due to continuous digging and disposal of industrial waste / slurry. Discharge of mineral / slurry will pollute Baitarani and other rivers. Through the iron pipes, there will be export of iron powder to Paradip Port Trust, the complainant said.

The report filed by the joint committee mentioned the features of the iron ore slurry pipeline projects of Keonjhar district. The report said that iron ore slurry pipeline projects are coming under green categories as notified by the Odisha State Pollution Control Board. 

The two operating iron ore slurry pipelines of BRPL and AMNS were commissioned in 2013 and 2014 and crossed major rivers and streams at many places. “During visit to some of the river crossing sites of those pipelines, no visible path (right of way) of pipelines was observed as the path was not demarcated. Neither any obstruction of water course nor any adverse impact was observed at crossing sites,” the report informed the NGT.

The committee recommended some points for environmental friendly operation of iron ore slurry pipelines. These include the water resource department to ensure that iron ore slurry pipeline projects should strictly follow the approved methods of river / stream crossing and any violation may be reported for necessary action by appropriate authority. 

In addition, the water resource department should ensure the environmental flow in all streams / rivers / nallahs during lean periods and water allocation on priority basis as per state water policy while granting water withdrawal permission to such projects.

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