Sewage mismanagement violation of human rights, claims petition; GHRC issues notice

In his complaint filed on May 18, Prajapati, a prominent environmentalist in Gujarat, highlighted that barely 0.5 million litre per day (MLD) of sewage water reaches the STP in Nagor, a village near Bhuj town,  even as Bhuj municipality claims that it collects average 15 MLD domestic wastewater from the town and pumps it to the STP.

“Less than 0.5 MLD reaches the STP, admittedly, indicating that most of the sewage of Bhuj is getting discharged into water sources and/or in open,” Prajapati had complained, adding, that the STP – set up by the Gujarat Water Supply and Sewerage Board (GWSSB) – has been operating without due clearances from the GPCB at least since February 2019. The STP has not been following norms of treating wastewater either, he further said.

Speaking with The Indian Express, the environmentalist said the untreated sewage water was contaminating water and soil, affecting human health eventually. “Most of the sewage generated in Bhuj town is either flowing into natural drains and water bodies or ending on farms of farmers. Thus, it is contaminating water sources, entering the food chain through agriculture and eventually injuring human health and thus violating the right to life enshrined in Article 21 of Constitution,” said Prajapati.

Acting on Prajapati’s complaint, the GSHRC has sought responses from Bhuj municipality, GPCB and DDO of Kutch. The notice states that GSHRC, after scrutinising Prajapati’s petition under Section 12 of Protection of Human Rights Act, 1933, proposes to take the action as provided for in Section 18 of the Act.

The notice issued by the secretary (legal) of the GSHRC further states that the Commission had ordered on May 29, 2024 to seek detailed action taken report and accordingly notice is served on the three authorities, seeking their response within 30 days.

Section 12 of the Act empowers a state human rights commission to conduct an enquiry in response to a complaint. Section 18 empowers a state commission to give suggestions, instructions, recommendations to the state government or to the competent authorities under intimation to the concerned petitioner for suitable action with respect to a complaint.

Official documents show the STP having capacity to treat 23.70 MLD was set up by the GWSSB on behalf of the urban development department of the state government. The urban development department had got the STP constructed at a cost of Rs 31.39 crore, provided by the Centre under the latter’s Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT).

However, the GPCB in January served a notice to Bhuj municipality and GWSSB underlining that the STP had been functioning since 2019 without obtaining prior CTE (consent to establish) & CCA (consolidated consent and authorisation) from the GPCB. The GPCB had asked the two authorities to state reasons why the STP should not be shut down.

The GPCB notice also flagged that the STP was not able to bring down suspended solids (SS) and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) in the wastewater post treatment to levels specified by the National Green Tribunal. Sources said that after the January notice by the GPCB, the Bhuj municipality obtained CTE. However, it is yet to obtain a CCA.