Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The National Green Tribunal (NGT), Bhopal, on Tuesday directed the authorities concerned to install CCTV cameras to check illegal constructions in Full Tank Level (FTL) of Sirpur Lake, a designated Ramsar site.
The direction was a sequel to a petition filed by a green activist Rashid Noor Khan over illegal constructions within 50 metres of FTL level area of the Sirpur wetland in Indore.
Notices have been issued to the Indore Municipal Corporation, Indore collector, MP Pollution Control Board (MPPCB), Wetland Authority and other stakeholders.
Any construction within the wetland, water body or pond must be restricted and prohibited immediately and no STP construction should be permitted in future, directed the green body, adding that stringent action should be taken against the violators.
The Tribunal also criticized hospitals for dumping biomedical waste into water bodies, calling them a source of destroying the health of citizens and pointing out their lack of accountability.
Advocate Harshwardhan Tiwari, who appeared on behalf of the petitioner, said, “The NGT has asked statutory authorities to realize their constitutional and statutory obligations under the ‘Public Trust Doctrine’ of protecting the water bodies/lakes/wetlands in question.”
The NGT directed the authorities concerned to restore the water quality of water bodies by preventing dumping of waste and discharge of effluents/sewage. Water quality monitoring should be on a regular basis, exploring possibilities to keep water bodies aerobic for maintenance of oxygen and for at least Standard Water Quality criteria, said the tribunal in its directive.
The Tribunal came down heavily on health providers, saying that they appeared to be spreading diseases by dumping biomedical waste in water bodies, as found by the statutory regulators in the reports filed before this Tribunal. The hospitals were not being made accountable for the destruction they were causing to water bodies, said the green body.
Health care establishments should have either captive social and liquid water management facilities or common facilities in accordance with Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules, 2016, said the Tribunal in its directive.
The NGT has directed the Chief Secretary (CS), to call a meeting of the departments concerned, particularly public health, irrigation, environment, urban development and revenue departments and other stakeholders to ensure implementation of its directives.
