Mahakumbh NGT gives UP govt time to submit comprehensive sewage management plan

New Delhi, Dec 14 (PTI) The National Green Tribunal has allowed time for the Uttar Pradesh government to place on record a "comprehensive sewage management system" plan for the upcoming Mahakumbh mela.
    The 2025 Mahakumbh will be held at Prayagraj from January 13 (Paush Poornima) to February 26 (Maha Shivratri). It is organised every 12 years.
    The green body was hearing the issue of preventing sewage discharge into the Ganga and Yamuna rivers in Prayagraj.
    In the order dated December 9, a bench of NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava noted the submissions by the additional advocate general (AAG) for Uttar Pradesh seeking three days to "place on record the comprehensive sewage management system which had been prepared by the authorities concerned, in view of the existing load and increased load" during the Mahakumbh.
    "In this plan, a disclosure will be made about the expected generation of sewage in the Kumbh Mela area and the treatment facility that is being created therein to prevent the discharge of untreated sewage generated in the Kumbh Mela into rivers Ganga and Yamuna.
    "This will also take into account the expected increase in the generation of sewage within the city of Prayagraj," said the bench also comprising judicial member Justice Sudhir Agarwal and expert member A Senthil Vel.
    It said the plan also needed to disclose the details of the drains falling into the rivers and the method of treating their sewage to attain the objective of zero untreated sewage discharge in both rivers.
    "There shall be a clear disclosure in respect of contracts which have been awarded in this regard, funds and land which has been made available for that purpose and the agency responsible for the same and if the work has been completed and if not, the timeline for completion of the same," the tribunal said.
    It then allowed the report to be filed by the state's principal secretary of the environment department within three days.
    During the proceedings, the AAG said that 81 drains in Prayagraj were discharging treated and untreated sewage in the Ganga and Yamuna rivers, of five were drains, three were storm water drains and two were sewage drains.
     "She (AAG) has stated that these drains have low flow and an on-site method will be adopted to prevent the discharge of untreated sewage from these drains into the river Ganga.
     "She has further submitted that there are 39 untapped drains out of which 60-70 million litres per day (MLD) of sewage from 22 drains will be treated through the advanced oxidation system, and with respect to the remaining 17 drains, the process of interception and diversion to the existing sewage treatment plant (STP) is on," the tribunal noted.
     The matter has been posted on December 16 for further proceedings.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)