Sabarmati river pollution: HC directs AMC to seal 3 sites, seeks NEERI report in 2 weeks

The Gujarat High Court has directed the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) to seal three locations identified by the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) from where untreated sewage is directly discharged into the Sabarmati river in Ahmedabad.

The order dated February 11, made public Thursday, was in relation to a suo motu public interest litigation (PIL) on industrial and sewage discharge into the river.

The locations identified include a storm water drainage behind the Riverside School, Near CSD Depot, on the Cantonment Airport Road, a drain near Prachin Ranmukteshwar Mandir in Hansol, and an outfall near the Ash Pond of Torrent Power plant in Motera.

A division bench of Justices JB Parrdiwala and VD Nanavati, in its order, noted that it was “disturbed to know” that the samples from the three locations revealed that untreated wastewater that does not meet required parameters, is being directly discharged into the Sabarmati river. It remarked that such outfalls “should have been examined at the earliest and measures should have been taken for prevention of such untreated discharge”.

The bench directed the AMC to block or seal all the three outlets within a week and start identifying societies, buildings and units releasing such contaminated sewage water directly into the river. The court also directed AMC to undertake “an extensive survey of all those residential societies/buildings/units in the area who do not have any valid drainage connection” and submit a response by the next date of hearing scheduled from February 25.

The GPCB pointed out to the court that four of the 14 STPs under AMC have been discharging huge quantities of sewage directly into the river. According to DP Shah, senior environment engineer at GPCB, who was before the court, such discharge was termed as “very dangerous”.

The court further directed AMC to submit its action plan to GPCB “as early as possible” in context with the 106 MLD Old Pirana STP, the 182 MLD New Pirana STP, the 60 MLD STP, New Pirana and the 180 MLD STP, Pirana. The bench also directed AMC and GPCB to intensify its drive of identifying the illegal industrial connections into the sewer.

The court also directed the GPCB “to impress upon the NEERI (National Environmental Engineering Research Institute) to expedite preparing its report” with respect to condition and functioning of seven CETPs and to furnish the same within two weeks, so that the GPCB can ask the seven CETPs to start undertaking the necessary repairs.

In an affidavit, the GPCB had submitted that its officials were “obstructed and prevented” and were “abused”, “threatened” and “locked inside” an industrial unit of Bright Wash while performing its statutory duty after the unit was to be discharging waste water directly into the AMC drainage line.

Noting the revelations as “very shocking and alarming”, the court directed GPCB “to take stern action against M/s.Bright Wash and that GPCB “shall, at the earliest, ask the Torrent Power to disconnect the power supply to M/s.Bright Wash”.