Why BWSSB’s notification on STPs is illegal, impractical and illogical

Residents of many old apartments in Bengaluru were shocked to see a notice that asked them to install sewage treatment plants. Bengaluru Apartments Federation calls it completely illogical. Here's why.

The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) issued a notification in March 2016, mandating apartment complexes with 20 units or more, to install Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) and dual-piping with retrospective effect. The absurdity of the notification can be summarised with three ‘I’s – it is illegal, impractical and illogical!

Tertiary STP. Pic: Vikas Brahmavar

Why is it illegal?

Firstly, all the enforcement authorities like Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) and Ministry of Environment have directed BWSSB to mandate new apartments with 50 units and more to implement STP with prospective effect.

But the BWSSB has chosen to ignore the directives and taken a unilateral decision on retrospective application, which is in violation of its own Act under which it has been constituted. Section 122(2) of the BWSSB Act states that any rule with retrospective effect can be made only after the reasons for the same are laid down before both Houses of the State Legislature and an approval is obtained. In the absence of the above, the notification is completely illegal.

Why is it impractical?

Apartments constructed in 1970s, 80s and 90s are not likely to have the right kind of space alignment required to retrofit a STP. Digging the ground near the foundation pillars to construct STP and breaking open walls for a dual-piping might compromise the safety of the buildings.

A properly-designed and constructed STP, together with dual-piping, for a 150-apartment complex would cost over Rs 1.25 crore. This would need an upfront investment of Rs 80,000 per apartment unit together with a running cost of about Rs 800 per month. Most of the older apartments would have elderly residents. They would have very likely invested their life’s savings to buy the apartment and may not be in a position to afford this extra burden.

Finally, the city already has many STPs many of which are dysfunctional or semi-functional, including BWSSB’s own STPs, owing to limited available technical expertise, ineffective guidelines, impracticality of enforcing compliance on thousands of STPs etc. The addition of a few more thousand STPs with retrospective effect is a perfect recipe for an environmental disaster.

Why is it illogical?

Old apartments are not causing any lake or water pollution separately, since they are already connected to the underground sewage drain (UGD) provided by BWSSB. In addition, old apartments might not be able to reuse much of the waste water, unlike newer apartments, so bulk of the treated water has to be let out into the UGD or storm water drain. This just does not make any sense since BWSSB has centralised STPs that are connected to the UGDs to treat the sewage. The retrospective implementation just does not serve any purpose.

The directives from CPCB and KSPCB have not been about retrospective STPs. Instead, they have directed BWSSB to provide UGD to cover the entire urban area of Bengaluru and then treat and dispose the sewage safely. But then, doing that probably means getting work done which must be a lot of effort. Passing absurd notifications asking citizens to do BWSSB’s job must be a lot easier!

In a nutshell, BWSSB has passed a notification beyond its constitutional purview asking residents of old apartments to find space where none exists, find huge amounts of money which they don’t have, put their buildings to risk which is probably the only asset they own, to implement thousands of STPs which could be a huge environmental hazard, for something that is not going to address either the lake pollution issue or water availability!

It is time for apartment residents to unite and fight these illogical and unreasonable demands thrust on them continuously by civic agencies!

Srikanth Narasimhan is General Secretary of Bangalore Apartments’ Federation (BAF). BAF represents the interest of apartment residents & is also trying to find reasonable solutions to the city’s problems.

Related Articles

Apartments to save lakhs of rupees, after new KSPCB order on STP fees
STP mess partly due to our lack of clarity: KSPCB chief
BWSSB STP rules: Creating more problems than solutions
KSPCB releases STP guidelines, relaxes treated water norms

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Similar Story

Civic amenities and urban growth: Lessons from a design jam on Bengaluru BBMP Bye-laws

Access to civic amenities like parks is skewed even when they exist as per BBMP bye-laws, finds a representative study of three Bengaluru wards.

In the OpenCity Bengaluru Design Jam on BBMP, our team analysed and debated the bylaws and zoning rules governing civic amenities, parks and open spaces in the city. As a diverse group of spatial thinkers and design creatives, we sought to understand what liveability meant for citizens navigating the urban landscape, and how building and zoning laws address our needs and the city’s densifying future. Urbanisation is transforming cities worldwide, significantly impacting the quality of life both socio-economically and environmentally. In democratic societies, livability crises affect and are affected by the different levels of urban growth and how cities are…

Similar Story

Why all Bengaluru lakes need a biodiversity survey: Lessons from Dorekere

The Dorekere survey highlighted the importance of documenting the biodiversity of lakes and the need to involve the community in such an activity.

A lake is not just a body of water, it is an ecosystem. Action Aid Association India organised a survey to document the biodiversity of Dorekere, a lake in South Bengaluru. The biodiversity survey was funded by the Australian Consulate in Chennai. It not only documented several species but highlighted the importance of such an activity in understanding whether Bengaluru lakes are being developed in an ecologically sound manner. Dorekere is a 28-acre lake in the Uttarahalli suburb of South Bengaluru. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) currently manages the lake. Earlier, it came under the purview of the Karnataka…