Chennai, Feb 16 (BPNS)
The Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), Chennai Metrowater authority, and other local bodies to take stringent action against the dumping of sewage in open water sources.
The NGT directed these bodies to stick to the guidelines framed by the Tribunal for sewage treatment plants in Chennai on the removal of septage from unsewered areas. The green body has also directed the local bodies to regulate the movement of sewage tankers under local body limits.
The guidelines of the NGT were framed by the Judicial member, Justice Pushpa Satyanarayanan and expert member, Dr. Sathyagopal Korlapati. The guidelines are under the Municipal corporation, Municipalities and the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewage Act of 1978 along with the GO of January 2,2023.
The issue of private tankers dumping sewage into open water sources comes under the purview of the guidelines formulated by the NGT. The Green Tribunal in its study also looked into whether the infrastructural development matched with the expansion of the city.
R. Ashok Kumar, social activist while speaking to BPNS said, “NGT is doing a great job in curtailing the menace of trucks dumping sewage in water bodies and untreated sewage being dumped by companies to water bodies. However it has to be seen whether the Greater Chennai Corporation and other local bodies conduct stringent monitoring. Ultimately at the execution level, the local bodies have to act.”
It may be noted that the NGT had earlier constituted a joint committee comprising of District Collector, TNPCB chairman, PWD Superintending engineer and a GCC official to look into possibilities of tracking vehicles licensed to transport sewage.
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