KSPCB asked Apartments to deposit Fee for operating Treatment Plants
Sewage treatment plants (STPs) are mandatory for all apartments in Bengaluru, especially in areas not covered by the underground drainage system.The STPs are immensely beneficial for the apartments. Installing the STPs helps the apartments to recycle the water. Many apartments, even in the areas where underground drainage network is present, have installed the system. Getting fresh water is more expensive than recycling water for secondary purposes.
Over 70 % of apartments in the city depend on water supplied in tankers, which is costly. In such cases, recycling the water for gardening, for toilets and for washing is a cheaper and more convenient option,” he explained. Meanwhile, setting up STPs across apartments has reduced the amount of sewage reaching the BWSSB STPs. This has resulted in these plants working much below their capacity, due to insufficient sewage reaching them.
Many apartments in the city have been receiving notices from the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) to pay hefty amounts for operating their own STPs. While the apartment owners contend that they should be given some incentive for installation of STPs instead of charging them a fee, the KSPCB says that the charge levied is a development fee.
“Yes, we have recently written to many apartments to deposit the fee, which indicates the KSPCB’s consent for operating STPs. The amount varies, based on the investment. Apartments are treated on par with industry in this case. In fact, they are considered to be a part of the infrastructure industry and are supposed to pay for the development to fund other works carried out by the KSPCB, like inspection for instance. Moreover, the KSPCB is a regulatory body. So by levying the fee, the board also keeps a watch on installation of these plants and quality of work,” said KSPCB Chairman A. S. Sadashivaiah.
“The BWSSB had estimated availability of sewage with the expectation of completion of all infrastructure. However, with an incomplete and inefficient drainage network, less than one-third of the total sewage generated in the city reaches the STPs of the water board,” said a senior official at BWSSB. “Considering the lack of sewage at STPs, we do allow apartments to let excess treated water into the drainage system. They let out excess treated water into the UGD during rains. This dilutes the sewage and is a good contribution by apartment STPs,” Mr Sadashivaiah said.
apartment owners, Bangalore, development fee, Karnataka State Pollution Control Board, KSPCB, KSPCB Bangalore, Recycling water, Sewage treatment plants, STPs, Underground drainage network
