NGT sets up committee to recommend steps on mitigating pollution in river

The principal bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in New Delhi set up a five-member committee to recommend steps to mitigate pollution and restore the water quality of the Phalguni river.

A full bench of the tribunal, comprising chairperson Adarsh Kumar Goel, judicial member Sudhir Agarwal and expert member A Senthil Vel, acting on media reports, observed that prima facie, it seemed untreated effluents and sewage were being discharged into the river by industries in the area, without any regulation by statutory authorities concerned, in violation of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974.

The tribunal took note of the articles about hundreds of fish being found dead downstream near the Malavoor Vented Dam due to industrial and domestic effluents polluting the river.

The colour of the water also had turned black due to effluents released by industries in Baikampady Industrial Area. The entire river also reeked of unbearable stench, said sources.

The tribunal observed that it was necessary to ascertain facts and ensure remedial action for enforcement of the Rule of Law, protection of the environment and bio-diversity.

It stated that the stretch of Phalguni river may be treated as a polluted river stretch for formulation and execution of a restoration plan, defining timelines and budgetary backup. A field survey should be conducted to identify sewage and industrial effluent entering the river.

It constituted a committee comprising regional officers of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), the Central Pollution Control Board(CPCB) in Bengaluru and the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), Director of Fisheries, Karnataka and the district magistrate, Dakshina Kannada.

The tribunal said that the committee members should meet within two weeks and undertake a visit to the site, interact with the stakeholders, ascertain the cause of the incident and suggest remedial measures. If polluters are identified, notices should be issued to facilitate industries to file their response, if any, before the tribunal.

Based on the observations during the proceedings of the committee, the statutory regulators may take remedial action. It directed the committee to file an action taken report within two months.

The case was posted for further hearing on August 1.