Lok Sabha Question No. 5668 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-07-26
Subject: Flow of Polluted Water into Sea
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: H. Vasanthakumar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.5668

TO BE ANSWERED ON 26.07.2019

## Flow of Polluted Water into Sea

## 5668. SHRI H. VASANTHAKUMAR:

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

- (a) whether the Government is aware that contaminated and polluted water is being fed into the sea;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and the efforts being made by the Government to deal with the situation;
- (c) whether  pollution  is effectively controlled  in  harbors/fishing  harbors  across  the country; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI BABUL SUPRIYO)

(a )to  (d) Due to rapid increase of population and resultant wastewater generation from the urban centres, treated /partially treated or untreated wastewater finds its way into the nearby waterbodies  including  sea.  The  development  of  adequate  wastewater  treatment  facilities  is not  commensurate  with  the  increasing  wastewater  generation  in  urban  centres  in  the country.The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) is monitoring the water quality of both surface  and  ground  water  under  the  National  Water  Monitoring  Programme  (NWMP) through a network of4022 locations which includes Creeks/ Sea Water/Marine water quality at  73  locations.    The  water  quality  is  assessed  for  various  parameters,  including  physicochemical, bacteriological, heavy metals, pesticides, etc.

Further,  Central  Pollution  Control  Board  (CPCB)  has  made  assessment  of    sewage generation from Class - I and Class - II towns across the country along with its treatment capacity  during  March 2015. According to CPCB's assessment, total sewage generation is 61,948  Million  Litres  per  day  (MLD)  whereas  the  available  sewage  treatment  capacity  is 23,277 MLD which is only 37 per cent  of the sewage generation.

The Government has taken various initiatives towards control of pollution of marine water, inter  alia,  include  monitoring of marine pollution through COMAPS Programme by Integrated  Coastal  and  Marine  Area  Management  Project  directorate  (ICMAM),  Chennai, establishment of  the Coastal Aquaculture Authority (CAA) under the Coastal Aquaculture

Authority Act, 2005 to regulate coastal aquaculture activities in coastal areas, Notification of Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ)  in 2011 to prohibit the discharge of untreated waste water and effluents into the coast/ sea.,

In  addition  to  these  the  Government  has  also  taken  several  measures  to  check  the pollution  of  water  bodies  including  marine  water,    inter  alia,    include    formulation  and notification of standards for effluents from industries, operations or processes; enforcing of these  standards  by  State  Pollution  Control  Boards  (SPCBs)/Pollution  Control  Committees (PCCs) through consent mechanism and regular monitoring;; installation of Online Continuous  Effluent  Monitoring  systems  (OCEMS)  to  check  the  discharge  of  effluent directly  into  water  bodies;  promotion  of  cleaner  production  processes;  installation  of Common Effluent Treatment Plants for cluster of Small Scale Industrial units;  issuance of directions under Section 5 of Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 and under Section 18(1)(b) of Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, etc.

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