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Synopsis

The National Green Tribunal has in light of expeditious remedial action being required to ensure that pollutants including untreated sewage does not enter the Dal Lake, constituted a Joint Committee to deal with the issue.

"The Committee will ascertain the sources of pollution in Dal Lake and will find out the persons/entities responsible for the same and will take appropriate remedial and punitive action. The Committee will also prepare environmental management guidelines for houseboats", the Principal Bench's order states.

Said committee will comprise of following:

1. Member Secretary, J&K PCC,
2. Vice-Chairman, J&K Lake Conservation and Management Authority, Srinagar;
3. Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar;
4. Ro, MoEF&CC, Chandigarh;
5. District Magistrate, Srinagar;
6. Senior Officer of CPCB nominated by Member Secretary, CPCB.

District Magistrate, Srinagar will act as a coordinating agency in the Joint Committee, the bench of Chairperson Prakash Shrivastava, Judicial Member Arun Kumar Tyagi and Expert Member Dr. A. Senthil Vel has said.

This exercise is to be completed by the committee within a period of three months and an action taken report be filed by the joint committee one week before December 2, 2024, when the issue will be taken up next.

In May, the Tribunal considering the deteriorating condition of Dal Lake in Kashmir on account of flowing of municipal sewage and other pollutants from different sources had issued notice to the J&K authorities.

The response from Member Secretary, J&KPCC revealed unabated flow of untreated domestic water into channels and violation of environmental norms in the sample analysis report such as high concentration of BOD, total coliform and fecal coliform etc.

It further revealed untreated sewage flowing into Dal Lake from areas like Telbal, Lalbazar etc. and there are about 910 houseboats in Dal and Nigeen Lake and their water often gets discharged into Dal Lake without any treatment.

After going through the report submitted before it, the NGT found Dal Lake and two backflow channels (Nayadar and Jogilankar) to be almost anaerobic and high organic load going upto level of 23.5 mg/l.

"With regards to reporting data and FC, it is to be ensured that analysis of Total Coliform and Fecal Coliform may be carried out as per standard notified i.e. MPN/100 ml and not cfu/100ml. We further find that operating STPs are non-compliant. They should meet standards directed by the Tribunal in OA No. 1069/2018, order dated 30.04.2019...", the tribunal has ordered.