A recent report by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) drew the attention to one such issue dealing with environmental management: only 56% of the 1261 sewage treatment plant (STP) capacity across 31 states is utilised. The huge underutilisation is threatening the environment, the health, and well-being of the people, presenting serious challenges to be tackled by state authorities.
That squarely rests on the part of the states, where efforts are expected to be more vigorous in the pursuance of the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) 2.0 scheme. Launched in 2021, the AMRUT 2.0 scheme is supposed to increase the sewage treatment capacity by 5,791.94 million litres per day and the sewerage network by 29,105 kilometers. The success of AMRUT 2.0 in solving this issue of underutilisation of STPs will only be the determinant in the successful management of sewage.
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) notified the first discharge standards for STPs in the year 1986, which were further revised in the year 2017 to make the pollution control measures stringent. However, despite setting standards, compliance has varied grossly across states. For example, state of Andhra Pradesh has utilization rate of its STP capacity at 473.77%, over and beyond the prescribed 91%, which is a sharp contrast from the national average.
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) is to provide the necessary sanitation services in the country. However, it is the state government and Urban Local Bodies that are responsible for planning, designing, execution, and operation of the sewage treatment projects. Amrut 2.0 is a key aspect of such a mission with huge investments targeted at addressing this age-old problem of sewage overflow and underutilization of sewage treatment plants.
Thus, the NGT report underlines the importance of optimal use of the existing STPs by states and adherence to the laid-down regulatory standards by the MoEFCC. Utilization of these plants has to be brought up to the mark to safeguard the environment from degradation and thus, for the betterment of health. The Report points out that this underutilization not only wastes valuable resources but also offers little gains in ameliorating the harmful impacts of untreated sewage on water bodies and ecosystems.
An inadequate number of STPs and/or STPs are partially treated, lack of infrastructure, lack of technical expertise, funding, and deficit in operation and maintenance are among the many reasons for low utilisation of STPs. Bearing the above in mind, state governments and ULBs should increase their capacity-building exercises; invest in infrastructure modernization; provide for routine, periodic maintenance of treatment facilities; and establish their sustainable operation. Public awareness on a mass scale also has to be campaigned to show how important sewage treatment is and the effects of all this on overall environmental health.
A successful rollout of the AMRUT 2.0 scheme would need synergy between the central and state governments. The thrust of the scheme, however, does not lie only in increasing the sewage treatment capacity but in its efficiency to enhance the existing infrastructure. The same, by staying committed to these objectives, would attempt to develop a sustainable and resilient sewage management system that could address urban growth and environmental challenges of the future.
In simple terms, the NGT report about the underutilisation of sewage treatment plants raises a critical issue that requires urgent addressing and intervention by state authorities. The successful implementation of the AMRUT 2.0 scheme is principal for enhancing the sewage treatment capacity and for then the proper utilization of STFs. This is a challenge that needs to be met in order to achieve environmental and public health protection as well as sustainable urban development in India.
Source: National Green Tribunal