According to state government regulations, big housing societies in cities are required to set up efficient STP projects.
The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) will now keep an eye on whether the Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) which are mandatory for big companies are actually operational, how these projects are being managed by the companies, along with the Municipal Corporation. While the demand for water in the city is increasing, the MPCBhas taken this decision on the lines of overuse of water in many societies.
There are over three hundred large housing societies in Pune and over two hundred in Pimpri-Chinchwad. All these are subject to the rules of wastewater recycling. However, in reality, it has been reported that these projects are not fully operational in even fifty percent of these societies. According to state government regulations, housing societies in cities having an area of more than two lakh square feet are required to set up efficient STP projects. The wastewater generated in the society should be treated and used for irrigation, gardening, sanitation.
Construction Completion License is not issued to the developer without construction of wastewater recycling plants. However, in Pimpri-Chinchwad as well as Pune, many societies have shown ‘STP’ projects only on paper, and the projects of some societies are in a closed state. Some projects have been shut down due to lack of regular maintenance. As a result, the recycling of this water is far away, currently lakhs of liters of untreated water are being mixed into the river from the municipal canals.
A senior MPCB official said that STP can enable reuse of water used in the society. Using this water for daily activities can save a large amount of drinking water every day. For this reason, we have taken the decision to audit the efficiency of STP in the societies and take action against the relevant ones with the participation of the Municipal Corporations.
SOURCE: https://tinyurl.com/59shkfe3
