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STPs: NGT in no mood to dilute norms

The tribunal has now called for stringent norms for the construction of existing and future plants in the country.

Bengaluru: On April 30, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) scrapped the 2017 notification by the Union environment ministry which had diluted the standards for building sewage treatment plants (STP).

The tribunal has now called for stringent norms for the construction of existing and future plants in the country.

The tribunal noted that the relaxed standards will deteriorate the water quality and degrade the environment and it will be a retrograde step.

It also noted that the dilution will also affect the human life and the water quality of the rivers.

The NGT committee comprising nominees from IIT Kanpur, IIT Roorkee, NEERI and Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) had noted that 323 rivers, out of 351 were polluted and there was need for the revised Bio-chemical Oxygen demand (BOD) and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD).

NGT has gone back to the 2015 proposal by the CPCB which had asked for the stringent norms. The diluted norm of 2017 had the permitted BOD less than 30 mg/litre and the revised norm restricts it to 10 mg/litre.

Likewise, the COD and total nitrogen, which earlier had no limit are restricted to 20 and 10 mg/litre now.

Though the committee had suggested different norms for the metropolitan cities and Class 1 tier cities, the NGT said there was no scientific justification for diluting the norms and hence ordered for the application of uniform standards throughout the country.

Co-founder and Convener of the Friends of Lakes, Ram Prasad said, "This will be a huge challenge for the PCB's across the country to implement the order. Ultimately, this will lead to the harassment of the people by the officials."

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