Lok Sabha Question No. 793 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-12-14
Subject: Sewage Treatment Plants
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: PRABHAS KUMAR SINGH

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 793

TO BE ANSWERED ON 14.12.2018

## Sewage Treatment Plants

## 793. DR. PRABHAS KUMAR SINGH:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether the  Government proposes to increase the capacity of existing sewage treatment plants or install more sewage treatment plants to meet the gap in demand and supply in Odisha;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (c)  whether  the  Government  proposes  to  decentralize  more  sewage  treatment plants;
- (d) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; and
- (e) the plans of the Government to tackle the issue of underutilization of the existing sewage treatment plants?

## ANSWER

MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (DR. MAHESH SHARMA)

- (a)  to  (e)  As  per  a  report  published  by  Central  Pollution  Control  Board  (CPCB)  in March, 2015, the sewage generation in urban areas in Odisha is 1121 mld, against which available sewage treatment capacity is 385.54 mld.

It is the responsibility of State Governments/concerned local bodies to ensure proper treatment and disposal of sewage generated so that the untreated sewage is not discharged in rivers and other water bodies, thereby polluting them. This Ministry has been supplementing the efforts of the State Governments, including Odisha, in abatement  of  pollution  in  identified  stretches  of  various  rivers  under  the  National River  Conservation  Plan  (NRCP),  on  cost  sharing  basis  between  the  Central  and State Governments.

Proposals are received from the State Governments, including Odisha, from time  to  time  for  taking  up  various  pollution  abatement  works,  including  settingup/upgradation  of  Sewage  Treatment  Plants  (STPs),  in  towns  along  identified

stretches of polluted rivers under NRCP and sanctioned after due appraisal on the basis of the prescribed guidelines as well as availability of budgetary allocation under the programme.  River pollution abatement works at a sanctioned cost of Rs.92.74 crore  have  been  taken  up  in  the  towns  of  Puri,  Cuttack,  Talchar,  Chandbali  and Dharamshala in Odisha and sewage treatment capacity of 48 mld has been created so far under the NRCP.

State  Governments,  apart  from  their  own  budgetary  allocation,  are  also accessing  financial  assistance  for  creation  of  sewerage  infrastructure,  including STPs,  in  various  cities/towns  under  Atal  Mission  for  Rejuvenation  and  Urban Transformation (AMRUT) and Smart Cities Mission of Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs as well as Namami Gange programme of Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation.

Adoption  of  decentralised  or  centralised  STPs  are  decided  by  the  State Governments/concerned local bodies based on sewage generation and other local conditions such as availability of land and regular power for the STP, configuration of the  existing  sewerage  system,  topography  of  the  area,  treatment  technology selected, etc.

CPCB has issued directions under Section 18 1(b) of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974  in April,  2015  to all  the  State  Pollution  Control Boards  (SPCBs)/Pollution  Control  Committees  (PCCs)  in  the  country  to  make  it mandatory  for  local  bodies  to  establish  STPs  of  adequate  capacity  and  provide sewerage  system  to  cover  the  entire  local/urban  areas  to  bridge  the  treatment capacity gap alongwith enforcement of standards for sewage treatment. CPCB has also  issued  directions  in  October,  2015  to  municipal  authorities  of  66  metropolitan cities and State capitals under Section 5 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 to ensure  proper  treatment  and  disposal  of  sewage  generated  for  abatement  of pollution of rivers.

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