NGT Deprecates Uttarakhand Pollution Control Board

• 27 Feb 2024

Why in News?

Recently, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has deprecated the Uttarakhand Pollution Control Board for remaining a 'silent spectator' and not taking proper action to prevent the discharge of untreated sewage into the Ganga.

Key Points

• The tribunal has taken up a matter regarding pollution of the river in Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal.
• An estimated sewage generation in all 13 districts of Uttarakhand is estimated to be 700 million liters per day (MLD) and even 50% is not properly treated.
  • The laying of sewers and connectivity of households is an unresolved issue and the influx of tourists and pilgrims during the season adds to sewage generation.
  • In every district and concerned local body, sewage is being discharged in River Ganga directly or through its tributaries and, thereby, causing pollution.
• The installation and establishment of Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) are not being done with due diligence, expediency and earnestness.
• The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), which has been exclusively assigned with the mandate of rejuvenation of Ganga, has perhaps not gone into aspects of intricacies of sewage and solid waste management for hilly terrain.
• The tribunal directed the Uttarakhand Pollution Control Board to take punitive action against responsible government officers and heads of departments by initiating criminal proceedings against them.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT)

• It is a specialised body set up under the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010 for effective and expeditious disposal of cases relating to environmental protection and conservation of forests and other natural resources.
• With the establishment of the NGT, India became the third country in the world to set up a specialised environmental tribunal, only after Australia and New Zealand, and the first developing country to do so.
• NGT is mandated to make disposal of applications or appeals finally within 6 months of filing the same.
• The NGT has five places of sittings, New Delhi is the Principal place of sitting and Bhopal, Pune, Kolkata and Chennai are the other four.

National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG)

• On 12^th August 2011, the NMCG was listed as a society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.
• It acted as the implementation arm of the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) which was constituted under the provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act (EPA),1986.
  • NGRBA was dissolved in 2016 and replaced by the National Council for Rejuvenation, Protection, and Management of River Ganga.
• The objective of the NMCG is to reduce pollution and ensure the rejuvenation of the Ganga River.
  • Namami Gange is one of the Coveted Programmes of NMCG to clean Ganga.

Uttarakhand Pollution Control Board (UKPCB)

• It is a statutory organisation established under the provisions of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, and the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.
• The UKPCB is responsible for the prevention, control, and abatement of pollution in the state of Uttarakhand, India.
• It is headquartered in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.