29 of 111 STPs in Uttar Pradesh do not comply with Centre's standards: Report

According to the report, Uttar Pradesh has 119 STPs with a total sewage treatment capacity of 3,663.4 million litres per day (MLD)

29 of the total 111 operational sewage treatment plants (STPs) in Uttar Pradesh are non-compliant with the effluent discharge stands fixed by the Union environment ministry, a report by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) showed.

These 29 plants accounted for a total of 532.18 million litres per day (MLD), almost 15 per cent of the total sewage treatment capacity of 3,663.4 MLD in the state, a monthly report for UP in September-October 2022 showed, according to an Indian Express report.

It is also stated that these STPs were all situated along the main stem of the Ganga river and its tributaries.

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According to the report, Uttar Pradesh has 119 STPs with a total sewage treatment capacity of 3,663.4 MLD, but there is a 1,836.6 MLD deficit between this capacity and the expected amount of sewage generated, which is 5,500 MLD. The data shows that 111 of the 119 STPs are active. The deficit is further impacted by this.

A review of the report reveals that 29 STPs are also operating below the requirements set by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, which further widens the state's sewage treatment capacity deficit.

According to the report shared by the government of Uttar Pradesh to the NMCG on November 21, 2022, of the 29 non-complying STPs, seven are under Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam (Rural), while 22 fall under the Urban Development Department (UDD) of the state and other agencies.

The seven non-compliant STPs of UPJN-Rural are situated along the main stem of the Ganga and its tributaries in various districts, including Kanpur, Hapur, Mathura, and Bulandshahr. They have a combined sewage treatment capacity of 188.5 MLD.

There are 22 additional non-compliant STPs under UDD/others that total 343.68 MLD and are spread out across Firozabad, Chitrakoot, Varanasi, Lucknow, Ghaziabad, Meerut, Mathura, and Greater Noida.