STP rule: Apartment body to drag BWSSB to court

Bengaluru: To install a sewage treatment plant with a capacity to treat 120 kilolitres of sewage water every day requires an investment of up to Rs 1 crore. With the BWSSB making STPs mandatory for all apartments with 50 flats and above, for the existing and upcoming ones, members of the Bangalore Apartments Federation are planning to take the legal route against the water board. They say that apart from the cost barrier, space too is a big constraint and the rule should not be applied for older apartments.

Federation general secretary Srikanth Narasimhan told Deccan Chronicle, “For an apartment complex housing over 150 flats, an STP with a capacity to treat 120 kilolitres of sewage is needed and the investment required is between Rs 90 lakh and Rs 1.3 crore. "

He said, “There is a feeling among the public that those staying in apartments are well off and question our attitude as to why we are not ready to invest money to set up an STP. Who says that those staying in apartments are well off? Apartments started mushrooming in Bengaluru right from 1985. Many owners of such apartments would be over 60 years old now. When the BWSSB comes up with such a foolish retrospective rule, where will they get such large amounts of money from?”

The other major hurdle is the space. Such big STPs cannot be accommodated in an already built apartment complexes, he said. “Also, what purpose will STPs serve in old apartments? They already have an existing sewer line. Even if STPs are set up, they will treat the water and let it into the drain again because reusing treated water requires a separate pipeline. Those staying in apartments too are concerned about the environment and are doing their bit to conserve nature,” he said.

A senior official of BWSSB said that the government has framed the rules, and the board is only implementing it. Earlier, the rule was applicable to apartments housing 20 flats, but was relaxed after opposition from citizens, he said.

•  The Bangalore Apartments Federation has opposed the retrospective rule of the BWSSB
•  The BWSSB rule states that all apartment complexes, existing and upcoming, with 50 housing units and above have to install STPs
•  Citing hurdles like money and space, BAF is demanding that the rule should not be made retrospective
•  BAF is planning to take the legal route if the government does not change the rule