Representational image. Representational image.

National Green Tribunal has come down heavily on UP government, its pollution control board and other agencies for delay in informing it about the quantum of domestic and industrial effluents discharged in Ganga and warned of imposing exemplary cost on them if they did not do so within a week.

“By way of last opportunity, we grant one week time for the said purpose. We make it clear that if requisite status report and projected statement is not filed within this week, we will be compelled to impose a cost of Rs 50,000 on each of the concerned respondents, including State of UP,” a bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar said.

During the proceedings, the counsel for UP Jal Nigam told the bench that it was in the process of collecting segregated data and required some more time.

The bench, after taking note of the submissions, posted the matter for next hearing on April 5.

The NGT had asked UP Pollution Control Board about total quantity of domestic and industrial sewage discharge in Ganga and its tributaries like Kali and Ramganga and directed it to submit a “commonly acceptable” data on the total waste.

UPPCB had told the bench that 31 towns are located in the state from Haridwar to Kanpur on the banks of Ganga and its tributaries.While 20 towns are situated on the banks of Ganga, eight are on Ramganga while three are located on the bank of river Kali, it had said.

The board had also informed that these towns generated 544 million litre per day (MLD) of sewage, of which only 176.27 MLD joins Ganga after treatment while the remaining effluent flows directly into the river.

NGT had on January 15 directed Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand government to identify seriously polluting industries located on the banks of Ganga and apprise it about “quantity and quality” of discharge in the river.

Irked at the lackadaisical approach of officials of the two states for failing to enumerate the causes of pollution and the locations affected, NGT had asked the Ministry of Water Resources and Ganga Rejuvenation, through National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA), not to release funds to Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand governments without its approval.

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