Karnataka Forest and Environment Minister Ramalinga Reddy has directed authorities to ensure that sewage from Bengaluru and other parts of the state is treated before being discharged into rivers, warning that disciplinary action will be taken against urban development bodies, industries and the Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board if violations continue.
The minister issued the warning after a meeting with officials on the functioning of sewage treatment plants (STPs) in Bengaluru. He said authorities must submit the required information within a week and directed wastewater treatment facilities to comply with National Green Tribunal standards within 30 days.
According to a report by Prajavani, Reddy said the Tamil Nadu government had complained to the National Green Tribunal about untreated wastewater from Bengaluru being released into the Cauvery river. He directed officials to stop the practice and ensure that all wastewater is treated before discharge.
The minister also said that several households with access to underground drainage connections were still releasing sewage into stormwater drains because they had not connected their properties to the system. He warned that electricity connections to homes found following this practice could be disconnected.
Bengaluru receives about 2,825 million litres of water per day from the Cauvery and other sources, including around 400,000 borewells, according to figures cited at the meeting. The city generates approximately 2,580 million litres of wastewater daily. Existing treatment capacity is estimated at 1,364 million litres per day, but only about 1,215 million litres is currently being treated.
The figures leave a substantial gap between wastewater generation and treatment. The minister said works to add another 1,147 million litres per day of treatment capacity must begin and be completed as quickly as possible. Seven STP projects are expected to be completed by December, adding treatment capacity of 50 million litres per day.
A further 17 STPs, with a combined capacity of 413 million litres per day, are scheduled for completion by December 2027. Nine projects are expected to be completed in 2028 and another nine by 2029. Together, the projects are expected to add 535 million litres per day of treatment capacity, according to the figures reported from the meeting.
Reddy also raised concerns about the treatment of water from the KC Valley project before it is sent to Kolar, Chikkaballapur and Bengaluru Rural districts. He directed officials to review treatment at the Challaghatta and Vrishabhavathi Valley systems, which ultimately connect to the Cauvery river.
Apartment complexes with 80 or more flats in Bengaluru and other cities must install STPs, the minister said. Officials were instructed to issue notices to complexes that have not installed the required systems. He also ordered an inspection of complaints that industries in Bengaluru’s Peenya Industrial Area were releasing untreated sewage into drains, warning that action could include sealing defaulting industrial units.
The minister’s directions set a 30-day deadline for STPs to meet National Green Tribunal standards, while officials have been asked to return within a week with information on the treatment facilities and corrective measures.
