Concerned over 95 pc untreated sewage polluting Tawi, DB issues directions
Observing that the compliance report has asserted that a re-tendering proposal has been submitted by the SPCB to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) for setting up 13 new Ambient Air Monitoring Stations in Jammu Division, the DB directed that CPCB shall file a status report on the progress of proposal.
DB also directed IG Traffic to shall inform this Court as to whether there is a full-fledged traffic plan in place for the Jammu city.
On water pollution, the DB was informed that three Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) have been set up or are under construction at Bhagwati Nagar.
One Sewage Treatment Plant has a capacity of 10 million liters per day but the same is underutilized and approximately 5 million liters per day is treated in this Sewage Treatment Plant.
There is another Sewage Treatment Plant having a capacity of 30 million liters per day but this is not operational.
The third STP at Bhagwati Nagar having a capacity of 27 million liters per day is under construction.
Therefore, more STPs need to be planned and set up for the old city area, the DB observed.
Observing that 95 million liters of sewage is flowing untreated into the river Tawi and polluting the same and the rest of the city across the river Tawi has no STP and we do not even know the figures of the amount of sewage which is generated per day in those parts of the city, Division Bench arrayed Commissioner/Secretary to Government of J&K, Housing and Urban Development Department, as respondent and directed Senior AAG Seema to file a status report indicating as to what plans are in place for treatment of sewage in the rest of the city across the river Tawi.
Upon this, the DB observed that this raises the concern with regard to the manner in which municipal solid waste is to be dealt with and arrayed Commissioner, Jammu Municipal Corporation, and issued notice and said that notice shall go to S. S. Nanda, Senior Additional AG, who is the standing counsel for JMC.
DB further directed that Commissioner, Jammu Municipal Corporation, is required to file a status report before the next date with regard to the management of Municipal Solid Waste.