BENGALURU: A sharp drop to Government of Karnataka for not being able to check Environmental pollution by ensuring efficiency solid waste and wastewater management systems, National Green Court (NGT) asked it to pay Rs 2,900 crore as compensation.
The NGT’s main executive board in New Delhi has been monitoring compliance with previous Supreme Court directives for eight years on solid waste and wastewater management. In Thursday’s order, the court noted that the steps the Karnataka government took in dealing with solid and liquid waste were “insufficient”, causing heavy damage to the environment and public health.
Assessing the extent of damage and estimating compensation under the ‘Pay the polluter’ principle for environmental restoration, NGT initially estimated the compensation to be paid at Rs 3,400 crore. But NGT president Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel ordered a deduction of Rs 500 crore levied on Monday for damage to Lake Chandapura in Electronic City, Bengaluru.
The NGT has directed the state to deposit Rs 2,900 crore into a separate ring-fenced account within two months. This money can be used for environmental restoration over the next six months. The Chief Secretary is responsible for ensuring compliance.
Continuing the hearing on Karnataka’s compliance with SC directives, based on the affidavit submitted by the chief secretary, NGT said, “It can be seen from the data presented by the chief secretary in the present matter, No significant progress has been made. Major gaps remain in solid and liquid waste management even after eight years of this court’s oversight, following a Supreme Court order on September 2, 2014. , in Almitra Patel, supra (Solid Waste Petition) and more than five years after Supreme Court Order of 22 February 2017, in Paryavaran Suraksha (Liquid Waste Petition).”
Referring to the data provided by the government, NGT indicated that Karnataka is processing only 9,153 tons of solid waste out of a total of 15,334 tons generated daily. There are about 6,181 tons per day, which the state admits has been sent directly to landfills. Similarly, the state treats only 1.929 million liters of the 3,356 million liters of wastewater generated each day, leaving a gap of 1,427 million liters.
The state estimates the amount of old waste (accumulating over several years) at 179.9 thousand tons spread over 196 landfill sites in different cities and towns with more than 1 thousand inhabitants. Regarding heritage waste, the Karnataka government admitted: “A total of 1,380,000 tons of waste have been treated and another 178.5 thousand tons still need to be remedied.”
The NGT states: “Operating landfills, as well as old ones, occupy a valuable area of public land, resulting in air, water and soil pollution and cause damage to the environment and public health. They emit an unpleasant odor and cause a toxic and unsafe environment for residents in the vicinity. ”
The NGT’s main executive board in New Delhi has been monitoring compliance with previous Supreme Court directives for eight years on solid waste and wastewater management. In Thursday’s order, the court noted that the steps the Karnataka government took in dealing with solid and liquid waste were “insufficient”, causing heavy damage to the environment and public health.
Assessing the extent of damage and estimating compensation under the ‘Pay the polluter’ principle for environmental restoration, NGT initially estimated the compensation to be paid at Rs 3,400 crore. But NGT president Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel ordered a deduction of Rs 500 crore levied on Monday for damage to Lake Chandapura in Electronic City, Bengaluru.
The NGT has directed the state to deposit Rs 2,900 crore into a separate ring-fenced account within two months. This money can be used for environmental restoration over the next six months. The Chief Secretary is responsible for ensuring compliance.
Continuing the hearing on Karnataka’s compliance with SC directives, based on the affidavit submitted by the chief secretary, NGT said, “It can be seen from the data presented by the chief secretary in the present matter, No significant progress has been made. Major gaps remain in solid and liquid waste management even after eight years of this court’s oversight, following a Supreme Court order on September 2, 2014. , in Almitra Patel, supra (Solid Waste Petition) and more than five years after Supreme Court Order of 22 February 2017, in Paryavaran Suraksha (Liquid Waste Petition).”
Referring to the data provided by the government, NGT indicated that Karnataka is processing only 9,153 tons of solid waste out of a total of 15,334 tons generated daily. There are about 6,181 tons per day, which the state admits has been sent directly to landfills. Similarly, the state treats only 1.929 million liters of the 3,356 million liters of wastewater generated each day, leaving a gap of 1,427 million liters.
The state estimates the amount of old waste (accumulating over several years) at 179.9 thousand tons spread over 196 landfill sites in different cities and towns with more than 1 thousand inhabitants. Regarding heritage waste, the Karnataka government admitted: “A total of 1,380,000 tons of waste have been treated and another 178.5 thousand tons still need to be remedied.”
The NGT states: “Operating landfills, as well as old ones, occupy a valuable area of public land, resulting in air, water and soil pollution and cause damage to the environment and public health. They emit an unpleasant odor and cause a toxic and unsafe environment for residents in the vicinity. ”
