 has directed the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to take immediate action to redirect sewage flow in Kodichikkanahalli){kind=link}
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has taken suo motu cognizance of the discharge of sewage into a storm-water drain (SWD) attached to Vakil Marina, a housing society in Kodichikkanahalli near Madiwala lake in Bangalore.
The petition is registered suo-motu on the basis of the news item dated 18.09.2024.
As per the news item, responding to the complaints filed by residents of the area, the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) has directed the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to take immediate action to redirect sewage flow in Kodichikkanahalli, a neighborhood in Bengaluru into the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board’s (BWSSB) underground drainage.
The news item highlights that residents have reported unbearable stench and issues of snakes, insects, and termites due to sewage flowing through a storm-water drain (SWD) attached to their area. Furthermore, it is alleged that the sewage flow has been contaminating local water bodies and creating unhygienic conditions, posing risks to public health and the environment.
As per the news item, the Madiwala Lake has been declared a biodiversity hotspot and a bird conservation reserve. The State Government has also sanctioned an amount of 25 crores for ecological development around the lake. Hence, the discharge of sewage near the lake hampers the biodiversity of the region severely.
The news item raises substantial issues relating to compliance of the environmental norms.
“Power of the Tribunal to take up the matter in suo-motu exercise of power has been recognized by the Hon’ble Supreme Court in the matter of “Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai vs. Ankita Sinha & Ors.” reported in 2021 SCC Online SC 897.”
Hence, the Principal Bench of Justice Prakash Shrivastava, Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and Dr. A. Senthil Vel impleaded the following as respondents in the matter:
1.Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), Through its Chief Commissioner.
2. Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), Through its Member Secretary.
3. Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Through its Member Secretary .
4. Karnataka Biodiversity Authority, Through its Chairman.
5. Karnataka Wetland Authority, Through its Joint Secretary Department of Forest, Ecology and Environment.
6. District Magistrate (DM), Bangalore.
The Bench issued notice to the Respondents and listed the matter on 15.01.2025.