The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has stayed an October 2017 notification issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF) which allegedly diluted standards for effluent discharge, particularly from sewage treatment plants.
“If stay is not granted, there will be irreparable loss to public health at large as well as to the environment,” the tribunal said while staying the notification till April 16, the next date of hearing.
The NGT also constituted an expert committee, which will go into various aspects of the alleged dilution of norms and its likely impact on the recipient environment and public health. “While examining the matter, the Committee shall examine issues such as assimilative capacities of our river systems, e-flows and related aspects,” it said.
The green panel’s direction came on a plea by Nitin Shankar Deshpande, who claimed that standards have been drastically diluted under the new notification which will lead to widespread degradation of water quality.
“Untreated or partially treated sewage is a major source of pollution. Experts on the subject have recognised a huge gap in the sewage generated and treated resulting in untreated sewage being dumped into the water bodies. What is required is to take steps to enhance the treatment capacities,” he stated.
“Relaxed standards will deteriorate the water quality which will not be fit for the best designated use. Instead of protecting the environment, impugned notification will degrade the environment. The notification is a retrograde step,” he said.
The expert committee is to submit its report within two months. It could also examine the best available technologies and best practices being followed besides the need of its replication in India keeping in view the economic viability and resource position.