The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Monday took suo motu cognisance of Bengaluru’s M.Chinnaswamy Stadium getting treated water supply for Indian Premier League (IPL) matches even as the rest of the city reels under a water crisis.
A coram of Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava and expert member Dr. A Senthil Vel registered the case based on an India Today report titled ‘Bengaluru Stadium to Get Treated Water Supply for IPL Matches Amid Crisis’.
As per the report, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), upon the request of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), has permitted supply of treated water to the stadium from the Cubbon Park wastewater treatment plant.
There are currently three matches scheduled in Bengaluru and approximately 75,000 litres of water are required per day at the stadium during the matches, the report has highlighted.
The report also discloses that Bengaluru is currently facing a shortage of 500 million litres of water per day (MLD) against the actual requirement of 2,600 MLD and that out of 14,000 borewells in the city, 6,900 have dried.
Furthermore, it underlines that KWSSB has banned the use of drinking water for car washing, gardening, construction and maintenance work in Bengaluru, but has permitted the use of such a huge quantity of water in the stadium for the IPL matches.
The Tribunal took the view that the report raised a substantial issue about the compliance of environmental norms.
Accordingly, it issued notice to the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), the BWSSB, the KSCA Secretary and the Deputy Commissioner & District Magistrate, Bengaluru.
The NGT noted that BWSSB, KSPCB and the Deputy Commissioner did not have the details of groundwater which was also being used in the stadium.
Hence, it directed the Secretary of KSCA to file a detailed report disclosing complete details of the quantity and source of water being used in the stadium and also the quality of treated water supplied.
