CHANDIGARH: Chandigarh Pollution Control Committee (CPCC) has detected six sewage outlet points into Sukhna choe and N-Choe.
In its report submitted before a National Green Tribunal (NGT) panel, the CPCC submitted that surprise inspection conducted on September 18 revealed that sewage was flowing into Sukhna choe at Kishangarh outlet, outlet of Shastri Nagar, Daria village, and at the pump house operated by the municipal corporation behind Central Poultry Farm, Industrial Area, Phase I. Sewage was flowing into N-Choe at Garden of Spring, where the sewage was coming from Mohali, and Sector 36, near the CFSL from the Iskcon temple side, the report said.
However, Mohali claimed it had plugged the sewage inflow into N-Choe from near a garbage disposal spot in Phase III A two months ago. Mohali municipal corporation (MC) commissioner Kamal Kumar Garg said, “NGT officials, Punjab Pollution Control Board chairman and Chandigarh MC commissioner during an inspection two months ago had detected the sewage point into N-Choe. We had within two days plugged the flow but later discovered that leakage of potable water from the pipeline of public health department into the choe. Directions to plug that leakage were given to executive engineer of public health department on Tuesday.”
During the review meeting by the NGT panel related to status of waste water generation and treatment in the city in the matter of Ghaggar river, the MC officials submitted that as per the directions of the NGT, work to repair the damaged sewer line at Daria village had been completed.
The NGT panel in its direction issued on November 2 directed the MC to conduct a resurvey of the locations where sewage is being discharged into Sukhna Choe and N-Choe within three days by November 5.
Recently, the Chandigarh MC commissioner KK Yadav had even issued directions to MC officials to submit weekly reports on progress work to stop flow of untreated water into Sukhna choe and N-Choe.
Recently, the panel of National Green Tribunal (NGT) had issued directions to the administration to stop pollution in Sukhna choe and N-Choe. The NGT panel is keeping an eye on pollution of Sukhna choe, which carries water to Ghaggar river and N-Choe in the city.
The NGT had also directed both UT and MC to 100% treat sewage water otherwise be ready to pay environmental compensation.
In August 2018, taking a suo motu cognizance of media reports on pollution in the Ghaggar river, the NGT had directed the chief secretaries of Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh to constitute a special task force (STF) to clean the river. Thereafter, the NGT committee in Chandigarh, along with CPCC, visited various points of Sukhna Choe in UT territory and observed the level of water pollution there.