The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 on the District Magistrate of Prayagraj for failing to submit a timely status report regarding the discharge of sewage water into the Ganga and Yamuna rivers, as well as improper and unplanned extraction of river water.
In an order dated February 7, 2024, the NGT formed a five-member Joint Committee with the District Magistrate, Prayagraj, acting as the nodal agency. The Tribunal directed the Committee to inspect all drains joining the Ganga and Yamuna rivers and all Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) from which discharge is made into these rivers. The Committee was tasked with conducting spot inspections, collecting samples of untreated water discharge, analyzing these samples, gathering information on STP functioning, and submitting a report before the Tribunal at least one week before the next hearing on March 13, 2024.
Despite these clear instructions, no report was submitted by the Committee by the specified date. When the matter was reviewed on March 13, the Tribunal noted the absence of the report even after a substantial lapse of time. Although the District Magistrate, Prayagraj, was granted an additional six weeks to file the report, no submission was made within this extended period. The Tribunal was informed that a report was filed a day before the hearing, but it was deemed defective.
The NGT expressed concern over the District Magistrate’s conduct, noting that it resulted in non-compliance with the Tribunal’s order and allowed untreated sewage to continue flowing into the Ganga and Yamuna rivers, deteriorating water quality. Consequently, the Tribunal imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 on the District Magistrate, Prayagraj, directing that it be deposited with the Registrar General of the Tribunal within two weeks. The counsel for the District Magistrate was granted two weeks to rectify the defects in the report to ensure it is properly recorded.
The Tribunal’s directive came on May 21 while hearing a petition addressing the discharge of sewage into the Ganga and Yamuna rivers and the improper extraction of river water. The petition raised concerns about the availability of clean water for the upcoming Kumbh Mela in 2024-2025.
A recent status report from the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) highlighted that Prayagraj generates approximately 500 million liters per day (mld) of sewage. Existing STPs have the capacity to treat 340 mld, with plans to expand this capacity to 533 mld.
The report from Prayagraj Mela Pradhikaran indicated that 37 sewage-carrying drains have been tapped and diverted to 10 STPs, which treat the sewage according to standards set by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change before discharging it into the Ganga and Yamuna. However, interception and diversion to STPs for 41 drains remain incomplete, leading to at least 67.82 mld of untreated sewage flowing into the rivers.
To verify the situation, the Tribunal formed a committee comprising representatives from the Member Secretary (CPCB), RO MOEF&CC (Lucknow), District Magistrate (Prayagraj), RO UPPCB (Prayagraj), and Chief Engineer, UP Jal Nigam. This committee was directed to inspect all drains joining the Ganga and Yamuna rivers and all STPs discharging into these rivers in Prayagraj district to provide a comprehensive report on the total sewage generation, installed STP capacity, and STP performance.