Bengaluru will fast-track the construction and expansion of sewage treatment plants (STPs) after officials reported a treatment-capacity shortfall of 1,215.5 million litres a day, raising concerns over untreated or partially treated sewage entering the city’s water bodies.
Forest, Ecology and Environment Minister Ramalinga Reddy issued the directions during a meeting at the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board’s Environment Bhavan, according to a report by Prajavani. The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) briefed the minister on the city’s water supply, sewage generation and treatment infrastructure.
Bengaluru currently receives about 2,825 million litres of water a day, including Cauvery water and groundwater. The city generates approximately 2,580 million litres of sewage daily, while the 37 STPs operated by the BWSSB have a combined treatment capacity of 1,364.5 million litres a day.
Officials told the meeting that 42 STPs are under construction or being implemented through various projects, with a combined capacity of 1,147 million litres a day. The planned commissioning schedule includes 51 million litres a day of capacity this year, followed by 17 STPs with a combined capacity of 413 million litres a day next year. Nine STPs with a combined capacity of 148 million litres a day are expected to be completed by the end of 2028, while another nine plants with a combined capacity of 535 million litres a day are scheduled for completion by the end of 2029.
The minister directed the BWSSB to ensure that every STP complies with standards prescribed by the National Green Tribunal and the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board. Officials have identified some plants that are not currently operating according to the required standards and have been instructed to take corrective action within 30 days.
The compliance review will also extend beyond plants operated by the civic water utility. Karnataka State Pollution Control Board officials have been asked to inspect private STPs at apartment complexes, educational institutions, commercial buildings, hospitals and office premises across Bengaluru. The inspections are intended to establish whether these facilities are operating effectively and meeting the standards set by the board.
The meeting also addressed the movement of sewage through the city’s drainage network. The BWSSB was directed to complete missing sections of sewage lines wherever sewage is flowing into storm-water drains instead of reaching treatment plants. Damaged manholes are to be repaired or rebuilt urgently so that sewage can be conveyed to STPs, treated and safely disposed of.
Joint inspections by the pollution control board and the BWSSB were ordered in Peenya, Jigani and other industrial areas to review the handling of liquid and solid waste generated by industries. The minister also directed officials to complete all STPs currently under construction within their prescribed timelines.
The directions included expanding formal sewage connections in areas where the BWSSB network is already available but some residents remain unconnected. Officials have been asked to identify such locations, inspect suspected illegal sewage connections and provide authorised connections to residents where required. The 30-day compliance action and the scheduled completion of projects will determine how quickly the reported capacity gap is reduced.
