E-Paper
NGT finds gaps in sewage management, asks Punjab for fresh action-taken report
The NGT, during a hearing on March 26, observed a significant gap in sewage treatment with untreated sewage reportedly flowing into rivers, ponds, and low-lying areas, thereby posing a threat to groundwater quality.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) raised concerns over deficiencies in sewage and solid waste management across Punjab and directed the state government to file a fresh action-taken report through an affidavit by the Punjab chief secretary.
The Tribunal, during a hearing on March 26, observed a significant gap in sewage treatment with untreated sewage reportedly flowing into rivers, ponds, and low-lying areas, thereby posing a threat to groundwater quality.
The Tribunal has directed the state to submit a detailed, time-bound action plan to bridge the treatment gap in each Urban Local Body (ULB).
On solid waste management, the NGT noted that major cities such as Amritsar, Ludhiana, and Jalandhar are grappling with massive piles of legacy waste owing to inadequate waste processing infrastructure. The Tribunal has sought a practical and area-specific plan from all ULBs to address the issue.
According to the figures submitted to the NGT, a total of 47.75 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of legacy waste is yet to be remediated in Punjab. While 119 out of 166 ULBs have reportedly cleared their dump sites—with oral claims that seven more have been addressed—the Tribunal noted that there was a lack of satisfactory data on the total number of dump sites and the area reclaimed.
It was further highlighted that the three municipal corporations -- Amritsar, Ludhiana, and Jalandhar alone account for 40.23 LMT of this waste, while the remaining 43 ULBs hold 7.53 LMT.
The Tribunal also pointed to a 765-tonnes-per-day (TPD) shortfall in waste processing in Punjab. Of the 2,295 TPD of wet waste generated across the state, only 1,912 TPD is processed through composting (1,520 TPD); animal feed (239 TPD); home composting (71 TPD); and biogas generation (70 TPD). Similarly, a 383 TPD gap exists in dry waste processing.
Moreover, no ULB-wise breakup of waste generation, processing capacity, and shortfall were provided by the Punjab government, prompting the Tribunal to seek these specifics in the next report.
In terms of liquid waste management, the Tribunal noted that there was a sewage treatment gap of 235.92 million litres per day (MLD). Punjab currently has 150 sewage treatment plants (STPs) with a cumulative treatment capacity of 1,983.99 MLD against a total sewage generation of 2,219.19 MLD.
