The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has imposed a fine of Rs 10 crore on the Meghalaya government over the delay to stop pollution of Myntdu river in West Jaiñtia Hills.
In an order passed on September 21, the special bench of NGT headed by Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel apart from directing remedial action, direct the Meghalaya government to deposit an amount of Rs 10 crore within two months in a ring-fenced account to be operated under the directions of the Chief Secretary.
The order was passed on the petition filed by Jowai resident Sajay Laloo.
The NGT also said that the fine should be utilised for restoration of the environment including preventing discharge of untreated sewage and solid waste treatment/processing facilities, as per appropriate mechanism for planning and execution that may be evolved for remedying the situation within next six months.
“If violations continue, liability to pay additional compensation may have to be considered,” the NGT warned.
The amount of fine was calculated by NGT as the quantity of untreated sewage discharged in Myntdu and its tributaries from Jowai town and adjoining areas is estimated to be 5 MLD (million litres per day).
The amount was reached on the pattern of orders recently passed in respect of the states of West Bengal, Maharashtra and Rajasthan where monetary liability on ‘Polluter Pays’ principle was fixed at the rate of Rs 2 crore per MLD.
While stating that some steps are said to have been taken by the State government to deal with the pollution of Myntdu, the NGT said that “there is no tangible progress so far”.
“Most of the steps are still at the planning stage with promises for the future. We are not pessimists but past violations are not reassuring. We hope promises are kept,” the tribunal added.
According to the NGT, the State government has failed to meet the three-year timeline from February 2017 for establishing equipment necessary to prevent water pollution and up to March 31, 2018 to finalise the funding arrangement as laid down in the judgement of the Supreme Court in Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti case.
“Similarly, for solid waste management, the timeline under the Solid Waste Management Rule, 2016 for taking the last step is up to April 7, 2021 which has also expired and the State is still at plan preparation stage. Even the plan of the State shows that sewage treatment equipment and solid waste processing plants are yet to be established,” the NGT said.
It also said that analytical results of water quality of two tributaries namely Rampyrthai and Liar Urkyrdein show that they are carrying domestic sewage from Jowai town and nearby habitation and ultimately adding pollution load on Myntdu river while further, discharges from automobile garages and other sources are aggravating the situation.
Stating that compliance of the order will be the responsibility of the Chief Secretary, the NGT also directed the Chief Secretary to file an action taken report of compliance status by providing status on completion of sewage treatment plant and Fecal Sludge and Septage Management (FSSM), removing of all encroachment from areas near Myntdu river and completing other related activities as per the Action Plan.
The NGT said that the action taken report of compliance status should be filed by the Chief Secretary after six months with the Registrar of the Eastern Zone Bench NGT.
