NGT pulls up HP over untreated sewage flowing into Rivers, issues 32-point action plan
NGT pulls up HP over untreated sewage flowing into Rivers, issues 32-point action plan
New Delhi, Shimla, July 18
Expressing grave concern over the deteriorating state of solid and liquid waste management in Himachal Pradesh, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has observed that nearly half of the sewage generated in the state is being discharged untreated into rivers and streams, including the Sutlej, Yamuna, Beas, Ravi and their tributaries, posing a serious threat to the fragile Himalayan ecosystem.
A Principal Bench comprising Justice Prakash Shrivastava, Chairperson, Dr. A. Senthil Vel and Dr. Afroz Ahmad, while examining the Chief Secretary’s sixth-monthly compliance report on implementation of the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, issued 32 comprehensive directions to the State Government, Urban Local Bodies and the Himachal Pradesh Pollution Control Board to ensure scientific management of municipal solid waste and sewage.
The Tribunal noted that urban areas in Himachal Pradesh generate 420.82 tonnes of municipal solid waste every day, of which over 20 tonnes remain uncollected and a similar quantity continues to be dumped at temporary or unscientific sites. It also found that 295 garbage hotspots continue to exist across the state, including 28 in Shimla Municipal Corporation, indicating serious deficiencies in door-to-door waste collection and source segregation.
Coming down heavily on the authorities, the Tribunal observed that the continued existence of garbage hotspots raises serious questions about the quality, frequency and regularity of door-to-door waste collection.
It directed Shimla Municipal Corporation and other Urban Local Bodies to eliminate waste hotspots through scientific waste management and strengthen collection, segregation and recycling systems.
The Bench found that Himachal generates about 159.117 million litres of sewage per day, while only 88.293 MLD is actually treated, leaving a treatment gap of 70.824 MLD, or 44.51 per cent. It observed that untreated sewage from urban areas is flowing into rivers, khads, streams, lakes and wetlands, threatening drinking water sources and aquatic biodiversity.
The Tribunal also recorded that 20 sewage treatment plants (STPs) fail to meet prescribed effluent standards, while several others are operating without valid statutory consent.
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Referring to the ecologically sensitive nature of Himachal Pradesh, the NGT observed that rivers such as the Yamuna, Sutlej, Beas and Ravi, along with their numerous tributaries, are receiving the burden of untreated sewage every day, with potentially irreversible environmental consequences.
The Tribunal made it clear that authorities cannot pass the buck by citing financial or infrastructural constraints. Quoting the Supreme Court’s landmark judgment in Municipal Council, Ratlam vs Vardhichand, it observed that lack of funds cannot be an excuse for denying citizens a clean environment and warned that environmental laws must be enforced irrespective of financial limitations.
It further remarked that environmental compliance cannot be measured merely by constructing STPs or other infrastructure. The real test, it said, is whether every household is connected to the sewer network, whether rivers and khads receive clean water instead of untreated sewage, and whether waste is scientifically managed without open dumping.
The Tribunal directed the Himachal Pradesh Pollution Control Board to identify STPs operating without valid consent, recover environmental compensation from non-compliant units and prosecute persistent violators under the Water Act, 1974.
The Chief Secretary has been directed to submit a comprehensive compliance report on all 32 directions, and the matter would next be taken up on January 20, 2027.
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