JOIN USThe gazette notification by the Ministry of Environment and Forests(MoEF) will decide the fate of the STPs in the city and not the payment receipts of the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB).
The BWSSB officials assert that despite the presence of sewer lines, all new and old standing apartments with 50 and more apartment units in the complex will have to install sewage treatment plants (STPs).
Kemparamaiah, BWSSB Engineer- in- chief, said that there is no problem with those who have connected their apartments to the existing sewer lines.
The problem is with the ones which are not connected and discharge the wastewater directly into lakes and other water bodies.
On January 9, 2016, the MoEF had issued a notification stating that all apartments and complexes with over 50 units and over 2,000 sqmts will have to install STPs.
"Our stand is very clear. We are strictly following the MoEF rules. It is not that our existing infrastructure is inadequate, in fact, it is underutilised. It is also not mandatory for apartment and commercial complexes to connect their units to the existing sewer lines," he said.
He explained that present sewer line capacity is 721 mld in which only 600 mld is being received. The STPs will be installed in the apartment complexes in places which are not linked to the BWSSB connections.
So far BWSSB concentrated in core areas and now work is on to construct sewer lines in CMC and TMC areas as well. The wastewater collected in the sewer lines flows in pipes and is treated before it is discharged into the valleys and then into lakes.
Kemparamaiah pointed out that in the case of the Bellandur lake, the valley passes through a core area, CMC, TMC areas and 110 villages. While BWSSB concentrated on the core areas, other areas released wastewater into the open drains and directly into the lake, which is the cause of the problems.