Dehradun: The National Green Tribunal (NGT), while hearing a petition about sewage discharge into the Mandakini River in Kedarnath, has issued strict instructions to the state government. The NGT emphasized the need for serious action based on the recommendations of the committee formed to assess sewage treatment and solid waste management in the Kedarnath area.
Abhistha Kusum Gupta filed the complaint before the NGT, alleging sewage pollution in the Mandakini River. The matter was heard by a bench comprising Justice Prakash Srivastava (Chairman), Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi (Judicial Member), and Dr. A Senthil Vel (Expert Member).
Instructions to give time limit for making arrangements for solid waste management
The NGT, led by Justice Prakash Srivastava, emphasized the need for a time frame to be established for improving sewage treatment and solid waste management in the area. The NGT directed that all sewer connections in Kedarnath should be connected to a sewage treatment plant (STP). The tribunal considered the report of a joint committee formed to assess the ground reality, which included members from the Central Pollution Control Board, the District Magistrate of Rudraprayag, and representatives from the regional office of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in Dehradun.
1.667 tonnes of plastic waste being generated daily during the season
According to the committee’s report, the NGT noted that no plant has been installed for the disposal of solid and plastic waste in Kedarnath, despite an estimated 1.667 tonnes of plastic waste being generated daily during the season. Additionally, a sewage treatment plant (STP) with a capacity of 600 kiloliters per day (KLD) is currently being built for proper sewage disposal.
Assured to complete the construction of STP by December
The state government has assured that the construction of the STP will be completed by December. However, the NGT has deemed its capacity inadequate and noted that no timeline has been provided for connecting nearby buildings to the sewage system. The NGT has directed Uttarakhand to file an affidavit to install a proper sewage treatment and solid waste management plant with adequate capacity at Kedarnath and to implement the joint committee’s suggestions.
The affidavit should include a deadline for starting the treatment plants. The state has also been directed to ensure proper maintenance of sewage soak pits before the next tourist season, and to achieve 100 percent connectivity of the sewage system to the 600 KLD STP.
