The National Green Tribunal while monitoring the status of waste management across the country's states and Union Territories flagged several issues last month after analysing the progress reports submitted by Gujarat and Odisha. A bench of NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava noted that the two states filed separate progress reports detailing the steps taken to ensure compliance with the Supreme Court's directions regarding solid waste management rules and establishing adequate sewage treatment plants (STPs). Last year, the tribunal imposed environmental compensation (EC) on various states for the gaps in waste management, including Rs 2,100 crore on Gujarat, which had to be kept in a ring-fenced account. It stopped short of imposing the fine on Odisha after the state government gave an undertaking that it would set aside Rs 1,138 crore to address the gaps. Regarding solid waste management in Gujarat, the bench also comprising judicial member Justice Sudhir Kumar Agarwal and
An Oxford-backed report says diarrheal diseases caused 1.2 million deaths in 2021, comparable to all violent deaths around the world. With 340,000 fatalities, it's also a leading cause of child deaths
Jal Shakti Minister CR Paatil called for the widespread adoption of reuse of treated waste water during a meeting of the Empowered Task Force (ETF) on Ganga rejuvenation on Wednesday. The meeting, which was chaired by Paatil, saw the participation of senior officials from the Ministry of Jal Shakti and key ministries, along with state representatives from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, and West Bengal, according to an official statement. Director General of the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), Rajeev Kumar Mital, delivered a detailed presentation on the progress since the last ETF meeting, focusing on several critical areas such as the reuse of treated water, biodiversity conservation, and the remediation of polluted river stretches. The session also addressed the River Action Plan and natural farming initiatives to rejuvenate the river. Paatil underscored the need for close coordination among stakeholders to ensure timely completion of projects under the Nam
Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena has directed Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar to submit a monthly report on the inspections conducted by senior officers in the aftermath of deaths due to "complete collapse of civic infrastructure" this monsoon, officials said on Monday. In a written communication to the chief secretary, Ashish Kundra, the principal Secretary to Saxena, said the LG has advised that an "institutionalised mechanism be put in place for scheduled inspections" by senior officers of facilities under their charge. "It would help them obtain a first-hand feel of the core problems being faced by citizens and take corrective policy or regulatory measures. The chief secretary shall circulate a uniform format of inspection report to all departments and submit a monthly report on number of inspections done by each officer," read the letter. Kundra also pointed out that even the Delhi High Court has taken a serious note in the matter of desilting of drains in the national capita
EMS stock zoomed 17% after FM Sitharaman in Budget 2024 proposed to promote water supply, sewage treatment and solid waste management projects and services for 100 large cities.
Water and sewerage infra player EMS Ltd on Thursday said it is planning to launch an initial public offering (IPO) in the next month to raise Rs 300-320 crore. Also, the company said it has completed the pre-IPO placement round and raised Rs 33.76 crore through it, leading to a reduction in fresh issue size in the upcoming maiden public issue. In the pre-IPO placement round, the Ghaziabad-based firm issued 16 lakh equity shares at an issue price of Rs 211 apiece, the company said in a statement. Accordingly, the size of the fresh issue has been reduced to Rs 146.24 crore from Rs 180 crore planned earlier. Besides, there would be an Offer of Sale (OFS) of 82.94 lakh shares by promoter and founder Ramveer Singh. At present, Singh holds a 97.81 per cent stake in the company. In March 2023, EMS Ltd filed draft papers with capital markets regulator Sebi to raise funds through the maiden public issue and has already received Sebi's approval to go ahead with this IPO. Proceeds from the
A magisterial probe into the recent electrocution incident at a Namami Gange sewage treatment plant in Uttarakhand's Chamoli, which claimed 16 lives, has attributed it to faulty earthing at the STP. The report of the probe, which was carried out by Chamoli Additional District Magistrate Abhishek Tripathi, was submitted to the state government on Saturday. The report accused the joint venture companies responsible for the electrification system at the STP of violating terms of their contract and safety norms. It recommended cancelling their contracts and blacklisting them in Uttarakhand. These joint venture firms are Jai Bhushan Malik Contractors, Patiala (lead partner) and Confident Engineering India Private Limited, Coimbatore. Electric current ran through the steps and railings leading to the STP in Chamoli on July 19, killing 16 people and injuring 11. Four people, including the supervisor of the joint venture company, have been arrested in connection with the incident.
Delhi will be able to treat all the sewage it generates as per the prescribed standards by December which will help reduce the pollution load on the Yamuna river, Water Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said on Friday. Addressing a press conference, he said the sewage treatment plants (STPs) in the national capital will be able to treat around 814 million gallons of wastewater per day (MGD) as per the prescribed standards by December. Delhi generates 768 million gallons a day (MGD) of sewage. The 35 STPs in the city have a cumulative treatment capacity of 632 MGD. At present, these STPs are utilising only 69 per cent of their installed capacity. This means only 530 MGD of the 768 MGD sewage is being treated. Only 160.5 MGD of the treated wastewater meets the prescribed standards according to which biological oxygen demand (BOD) and total soluble solids (TSS) in treated wastewater should be less than 10 milligrams per litre. BOD, an important parameter for assessing water quality, is the
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Monday warned officials of stringent action if deaths occurred during the cleaning of sewers and cesspools, and directed municipal administration officials to work with commitment and a sense of humaneness to prevent deaths of workers. Though the state has excellent growth indicators, it is very distressing that deaths still occur during the cleaning of sewers or cesspools, he said and sought appropriate measures to end this injustice. Speaking at a review meeting at the Secretariat here on measures taken to prevent the deaths of manual scavengers, he said although Tamil Nadu is a developed state with good growth indicators, it lags behind in one aspect. "The number of people who die while cleaning sewage tanks is high. This is very painful. It is the responsibility of this government to avoid it," he said. Urging the officials to put some thought into the issue, the Chief Minister said the practice of getting underground sewers and cesspools
Having transformed from functional items to artistic collectibles, manholes have achieved a cult status in many countries
The chief minister also brought up the challenges faced in acquiring land for sewage treatment plants (STPs), directing officials to resolve the issue expeditiously
Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Wednesday approved a project to construct a sewage treatment plant of 15 MGD (million gallons a day) capacity in Jindpur in northwest Delhi. A 22-MGD sewage pumping station in Jindpur and another with a capacity of 9 MGD in Hiranki will also be constructed as part of the project, a statement quoted Sisodia as saying. The deputy CM said 4.17 lakh people living in 40 unauthorised colonies and 14 villages of Narela and Burari will benefit from the project. The 15 MGD STP in Jindpur will not only help clean Yamuna but the treated water can also be used for horticulture and rejuvenation of lakes, he said. There are a total of 1,799 unauthorised colonies in Delhi. Of these, 725 have been connected to the sewer network, while work to connect 573 others is underway. Sewage from unauthorised colonies not connected to the sewer network flows directly into the Yamuna. The Delhi government has promised to clean the Yamuna to bathing standards by
The Irrigation department in Haryana has not made any "substantial progress" in setting up plants to treat sewage discharged into the Najafgarh drain, Delhi Lt Governor VK Saxena said in a letter to Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. Saxena also requested a meeting with Khattar in the letter dated February 2. "The L-G has reminded the Haryana chief minister that despite 'assurances' from the Irrigation department of his government to set up STPs (sewage treatment plants) to treat the sewage before being discharged into Najafgarh drain, there has not been any substantial progress so far," the L-G Office said in a statement. Saxena heads a high-level committee constituted by the National Green Tribunal for corrective measures to tackle pollution in the Yamuna. In the letter, Saxena also urged Khattar to "urgently" convene a meeting between Delhi and Haryana to find a sustainable solution to the Yamuna pollution, the statement added. Saxena referred to his earlier telephonic discuss
The interception of these 32 drains would prevent nearly 25 per cent of the total sewage discharge into the Najafgarh drain
The Delhi government will connect all unauthorised colonies and villages with sewer system to prevent effluent from flowing into the Yamuna and polluting it. Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Saturday approved various Delhi Jal Board projects on these lines, an official statement said on Saturday. The statement said that under these projects, the Delhi government will conduct a study on newly constructed lakes to assess the groundwater flow. It said that the existing capacity of Rohini Lake No 1 and 2 will also be increased. Capacity of Keshopur Phase-I STP will be increased from 12 MGD to 18 MGD, this will help in better treatment of wastewater, the statement quoted Sisodia as saying. The Delhi government will build a chamber to connect Sant Nagar, Singhu, Shahbad, Pradhan Enclave, and Kureni GOC with house sewer connection. The move will connect 10 villages and 64 colonies with house sewer connection, the statement said. To stop the wastage of water, the city gover
In the backdrop of recent rains and deluge in Bengaluru, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday assured the government will ensure a time-bound completion of the stormwater drain work that is underway across the city and provide more funds for this purpose. Speaking in the Legislative Assembly, he highlighted that the ongoing work of clearing encroachments along the stormwater drains was taking time and the government is at it. Also, the master plan for stormwater drains is being redrawn to increase its capacity, he said. "Work on developing stormwater drains across the city is underway and the work will continue without any break. I have kept Rs 1,500 crore in the budget for this and recently I have given another Rs 300 crore, so it is a total of Rs 1,800 crore for stormwater drains. This will not be enough and an additional budget will be given," Bommai said. He said the government will ensure that a total 859.90 kilometres of stormwater drain work gets completed. "
Delhi LG V K Saxena on Saturday directed officials to develop constructed wetland systems for natural treatment of sewage water over major drains in the national capital similar to that of the Neela Hauz biodiversity park. Saxena visited the Neela Hauz Bio-diversity park developed by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) in south Delhi. Walking through the scenic "Constructed Wetland System (CWS)", the LG described it as an exemplary model of urban rejuvenation and appreciated the DDA for developing and maintaining the park, said officials. After witnessing the natural water treating system that includes in-situ remediation of sewage water through two oxidation and stabilisation ponds, filtration zone and aquatic plants without using any power, and the quality of treated water thereof, he instructed officials to explore the possibility of developing such systems over other major drains in the city, they added. Neela Hauz Biodiversity Park has been developed as the Neela Hauz Lake,
A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice A K Goel said sanitation and proper hygiene in villages is imperative for clean environment and protection of public health.
Water treatment solutions provider Daiki Axis Japan plans to set up its third plant in the country in the southern region, a company official said.
Delhi will be able to treat around 95 percent of the wastewater by the end of the year, which will help reduce the pollution load in the Yamuna River, according to Delhi Jal Board's projections