366 Gurugram housing societies asked to install STPs

Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) has issued notices to 366 residential societies to install Sewerage Treatment Plants (STP) in their respective premises otherwise sewerage connection will be cut by the civic agency.

The decision was taken after National Green Tribunal (NGT) recently slammed GMDA for Gurugram city's contribution to polluting Yamuna river.

The sewerage of Gurugram city is falling into Najafgarh drain and it further culminates in the Yamuna river. The major cause of concern is the untreated sewerage water going into Yamuna river.

V. Uma Shankar, the CEO of GMDA, said that the notices have been served to those private developers who promised to install separate STPs in their respective premises while taking construction licenses from the town and country planning department.

"Under this provision, we have directed our officials to conduct random checking in residential societies to ascertain how many of them have not installed STPs. The officials are also checking conditions of installed STPs. As running STPs increase expenses, there are residential societies that don't operate STPs and directly throw sewerage water in the drain.

"During the inspection, the GMDA officials have found 366 residential societies which had made a commitment but failed to install STPs yet," Shankar said. 

She pointed out that none of the civic authority forced any residential society to install STPs.

"We are also providing options to take proper sewerage connection from GMDA and pay charges. GMDA will not allow anyone to pollute the environment," he said. 

The city has three major STPs at Dhanwapur, Sector 48 (Behrampur) responsible for the treatment of 300 million gallon water daily. One STP is run by Haryana Sahari Vikash Pradhikaran (HSVP) and one by Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) at Dhanwa and another at Sector 48 by HSVP. Besides, there are 24 more small STPs installed at different places in the city

As the population of the city is more than 25 lakh, generating almost three times more sewerage water daily, a large quantity of untreated water is going into the river.

"Besides, we have also directed officials to inspect STPs installed in industrial units. The official will check their maintenance and effectiveness of treating wastewater. The industrial wastes (chemicals) are more heath hazardous for humans and are eventually hurting the ecosystem of the area," an official said. IANS