Malfunctioning STPs exacerbating Dal lake pollution, not treating waste: CAG

Jammu, Apr 19: Malfunctioning Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs), installed to treat the water flowing into the Dal lake from nearby habitations with liquid and solid wastes, instead of serving the desired purpose, are exacerbating the (lake) pollution.

An upsetting fact – a pointer to the slapdash approach of concerned authorities, responsible for conservation of Dal – the “Liquid Heart” of Srinagar and one of the most beautiful national heritage sites of the country, has been brought to the fore in the report of the Comptroller and the Auditor General (CAG) of India on “Conservation and management of lakes in Jammu and Kashmir.”

The audit report for the period ended March 2022 revealed out that land use changes leading to persistent shrinkage of Dal lake were due to gradual encroachments inside the lake in areas of Mir Behri, Lati Mohalla and Nandapora; increase in built-up in the catchment areas of Takiya Sangreshi, Danihama, Shalimar, Koshpora, Banigam etc.

These areas are without sewer networking and sewage treatments and more than 80 percent of water inflow in the lake is received from tributaries passing through these catchment areas.

Intensification in the habitation in catchment areas of Hazratbal, Habak and Nishat having non-upgraded or inefficient Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) and dense increase in the built-up in Rainawari area having partial sewer networking or treatment system were also contributing factors vis-à-vis land use changes.

During 2007-2020, there was a decrease from 15.405 to 12.91 sq. km. (10.15 per cent) in the water body with submerged vegetation or open water of the lake, while there was increase in other land uses.

To treat the water flowing into the lake from nearby habitations with liquid and solid wastes, construction of six STPs having capacity of 36.70 Minimal Liquid Discharge (MLD) was sanctioned under National Lake Conservation Plan (NLCP) at a cost of Rs 21.46 Cr.

The STPs were installed (2006 to 2013) by the firm M/s Thermax Limited at a cost of Rs 45.01 Cr.

Audit analysed test reports (January 2016 to December 2018) of these STPs and found that sewage inflows were not treated as per desired parameters specified in the Detailed Project Report (DPR) or NIT or allotment order.

Against the requirement of removal of more than 90 per cent physico-chemical indicators, ammoniacal nitrogen was removed in the range of 14 to 49 per cent in respect of three STPs while in two STPs, it ranged from 31 to 65 per cent.

Total phosphorus was removed in the range of 14 to 56 per cent in respect of three STPs while in two STPs, it ranged from 39 per cent to 66 per cent.

There was an average increase in Nitrate Nitrogen from 13 to 161 per cent. Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) was also mostly higher than 50 per cent, ranging up to 137.

Despite incurring expenditure of Rs 45.01 Cr on STPs, the STPs were not treating sewage as per the required parameters resulting in deterioration of water quality of the lake, the audit pointed out.

Further, a performance certificate from the technology provider was required to be furnished by the firm for allotment of work of installation of STPs.

Audit, however, noticed that despite the firm not furnishing the required performance certificate, the work of installation of five STPs was allotted to the firm. No action was taken against the firm for unsatisfactory performance of STPs despite non-fulfillment of conditions of NITs and contract allotment order.

Audit further noticed that J&K Lake Conservation and Management Authority (LC&MA) had not co-opted three experts, one each from Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India, National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) and J&K State Pollution Control Board (J&K SPCB), as required under the terms of allotment order, to monitor the functioning of STPs.

A thick green belt, required to be developed around the STPs to match with surrounding landscape and to overcome the problem of odour in the area due to presence of STPs, was not developed.

J&K Housing Urban Development Department (H&UDD), in its reply in December 2022, stated that the three existing STPs did not have the facility to remove ammoniacal nitrogen.

“As such, it has been decided to merge these old technologies-based STPs with the upcoming 30 MLD capacity STP which was approved under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) 2.0 and UT CAPEX Plan. It was further stated that as an interim measure, the existing STPs have been refurbished and are functioning in accordance with JKPCB norms,” the H&UDD reply mentioned.

It was added that in the green belt, LC&MA had constructed artificial wetlands for STP Habak and STP Hazratbal whereas the red belt could not be developed for STP Laam due to nonavailability of land.

“The reply is not acceptable as the STPs had not performed as per the parameters specified in the approved DPR under NLCP. Further, the assertion that the existing STPs had been refurbished in accordance with JKPCB norms was not supported with any documentary evidence. It is to be further noted that in one of the research reports it had been pointed out that the STPs are not only malfunctioning but are exacerbating the problem of Lake pollution,” the CAG censured, while picking holes in the reply.

With regard to the peripheral area (in the area from Saida Kadal bridge to Ashai Bagh bridge), it stated that there was no provision included under NLCP for treatment of sewage generated by the households and these were being discharged directly into the lake.

For this purpose, a DPR was prepared (2018) by Urban Environmental Engineering Department (UEED) with estimated cost of Rs 8.48 Cr under ‘Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation’ (AMRUT).

The project scheduled to be completed within eight months included construction of one STP, laying of 2.60 km of main trunk sewer line, five km of lateral sewer lines and requisite house connections.

Audit observed that 27 per cent physical progress was reported in respect of the main trunk sewer line and lateral sewer lines, however, there was no financial progress as of March 2022. Due to non-completion of the sewage networking system from Saida Kadal to Ashai Bagh bridge, untreated sewage from the area continued to be discharged into the lake.

While admitting that the sewage networking system from Saida Kadal to Ashai Bagh bridge was incomplete, H&UDD, in December 2022, stated that the work of Intermediate Pumping Station (IPS) and sewer network from Saida Kadal bridge to Ashai Bagh had been commissioned and out of 750 households, 400 were connected with sewer lines and the remaining households would be covered shortly.

As STPs were not meeting the required standards of nutrient reduction and there were no sewage treatment facilities in the catchment areas of Shalimar, Tailbal, Batapora etc., a proposal was placed (December 2015) before the Board of Directors (BoD) of LC&MA for preparation of Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for upgradation of three STPs and for construction of STP for catchment areas.

Accordingly, preparation of DPR for upgradation of STPs and construction of STP for catchment areas was entrusted (January 2016) without invitation of tender to IIT, Roorkee at a cost of Rs 0.91 Cr, the audit noted. The decision to award this work to IIT, Roorkee was made by the BoD of LC&MA on the rationale that IIT, Roorkee had already prepared the basic DPR of Dal lake.

The DPR for upgradation of STPs, at a cost of Rs 45.73 Cr, was prepared in August 2016 for which LC&MA paid Rs 0.44 Cr to IIT, Roorkee. Subsequently, LC&MA asked IIT, Roorkee in August 2016 to suggest if establishment of a common STP having capacity of 22-35 MLD would be advantageous instead of four separate STPs.

IIT, Roorkee suggested that establishment of a common STP was advantageous due to being cost effective and it could accommodate future pollution load in a better way.

However, the Monitoring Committee of LC&MA, in April 2017, decided in favour of upgradation of three STPs and establishment of one common STP.

One of the three STPs was to be upgraded by the end of 2018-19. Two STPs were to be upgraded and one common STP was to be installed by September 2020.

The J&K government released Rs 7.36 Cr to LC&MA, between September 2016 and March 2019, for upgradation of three STPs and for works of sewer networking.

Audit observed that out of the released amount of Rs 7.36 Cr, only Rs 0.44 Cr was spent on preparation of DPR and the remaining amount of Rs 6.92 Cr remained unutilised for a period ranging up to 54 months.

Due to non-upgradation of three STPs and non-establishment of a common STP, excess nutrient load from the STPs and untreated sewage from the catchment areas continued to enter the lake. Nonavailability of sewage facilities in the catchment area and effluents entering the lake through various nullahs were also noticed during joint physical inspection conducted in March 2020, by the audit team with officials from LC&MA.

The Executive Engineer, Lake Division-II, in June 2022, stated that refurbishment of three STPs, instead of upgradation, had been carried out by UEED at a cost of Rs 8.68 Cr and the matter regarding establishment of one common STP at Gupt-Ganga was under process in UEED.

H&UDD, in December 2022, stated that in a meeting held in 2016 with the representative of IIT, Roorkee, it was concluded that up-gradation of existing STPs was not a feasible option as it would result in loss to the exchequer. Instead, the Committee of Experts suggested refurbishing these STPs which was done through UEED.

It was further stated that a DPR of Rs 291.48 Cr had been approved for sewerage network of left out areas including merging of the three existing STPs along with construction of one common STP at Gupt Ganga.

Thus, in absence of sewerage network in left out areas and due to non-construction of common STP, the untreated sewage continued to enter the lake affecting its water quality.