Just 46 apartments attend KSPCB hearing on sewage plants

Representatives of less than half of the 99 apartments appeared for a hearing held by the  Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) on February 22 and 23. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) had asked the board to serve notices on the apartments for  discharging  wastewater into Bellandur Lake, the city's largest waterbody.  

The apartments, situated in  the lake's catchment area, have to instal sewage treatment plants (STPs)  as per the tribunal's directions.  The tribunal also directed the KSPCB to ensure apartments and commercial spaces around the lake do not dispose untreated sewage into the lake that would further  contaminate the waterbody.

But at the two-day hearing, representatives of  only  46 apartments showed up, an official said. Fifteen out of them said they had the BWSSB's permission to discharge wastewater into existing sewers while another 24 sought three months' time to set up the STPs. Only four said they were  in the process of installing the STPs,  KSPCB member secretary G Ranga Rao told DH.

KSPCB officials do not know why the representatives of  the remaining 53 apartments didn't turn up for the hearing. The board will, however, give them another chance to attend the hearing.  

KSPCB officials said preparing the final list of apartments that must instal STPs would take time  because the hearing was not yet over. Rao  promised the list would be submitted to the  NGT at the next hearing  on February 28.