The Kerala State Pollution Control Board (PCB) has assessed a total surroundings compensation of ₹103.25 crore on Kochi, Kollam Corporations and 6 municipalities as per the ‘polluter pays principle’ for the unlawful discharge of untreated wastewater into the Vembanad and Ashtamudi lakes.
The notices imposing environmental compensation had been issued by the chairman of the board on March 29 by exercising the powers vested underneath Section 33 A of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) had on March 22 slapped a penalty of ₹10 crore on the Kerala authorities for its failure to test the indiscriminate pollution of the Vembanad and Ashtamudi lakes, listed as Ramsar websites.
Kochi Corporation has acquired the very best penalty of ₹49 crore after inspections by the board discovered that untreated wastewater was reaching the Vembanad Lake by means of 28 drains. The surroundings compensation assessed on different civic bodies and the quantity of drains carrying polluted water embody Kollam Corporation (₹3.5 crore – two drains); Thripunithura municipality (₹15.75 crore – 9 drains); Alappuzha municipality (₹12.25 crore – seven drains); Kalamasssery municipality (₹10.5 crore – six drains); Maradu municipality (7 crore – 4 drains); Cherthala municipality (₹3.5 crore –two drains); Vaikom municipality (₹1.75 crore – one drain).
Though the Aluva municipality was issued a discover earlier, surroundings compensation has not been assessed on the bottom that no drain was discovered resulting in the Vembanad lake throughout the municipality space, in line with the officers.
The penalty has been assessed for the interval between April 2020 and February 2023 at ₹5 lakh a month per every polluting drain as per the directives issued by the NGT. The native bodies ought to have carried out interim remedial measures for decreasing the pollution load on the waterbodies by March 2020.
The common amount of wastewater generated within the erring civic bodies included Alappuzha (19 million litres per day of sewage and sullage); Cherthala (5 mld); Kalamassery (8 mld); Kochi Corporation (73 mld); Kollam Corporation (43 mld); Maradu (5 mld); Thripunithura (10 mld); and Vaikom (2.5 mld).
