Dal Lake pollution: NGT forms panel to take ‘expeditious remedial action’

New Delhi, Aug 28: The National Green Tribunal has formed a panel to take "expeditious remedial" action regarding the pollution of Dal Lake in Kashmir.

The green panel, which was hearing the matter regarding the deteriorating condition of the water body, observed that immediate measures were required to check the pollutants, such as untreated sewage, from entering the lake.

In a recent order, a bench of NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava said the Jammu and Kashmir Pollution Control Committee (J&KPCC) had filed a report that untreated sewage was flowing into Dal Lake and there were about 910 houseboats in Dal and Nigeen Lake and their wastewater was being discharged into the lake.

"The said response reveals the unabated flow of untreated domestic water into channels and violation of environmental norms in the sample analysis report such as high concentration of Bio-Chemical Oxygen Deman (BOD), total coliform and faecal coliform etc.," said the bench also comprising judicial member Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and expert member A Senthil Vel.

The bench said that the lake’s two backflow channels (Nayadar and Jogilankar) were "almost anaerobic", having a "high organic load" and that the sewage treatment plants (STP) were not operating properly.

"Expeditious remedial action is required to be taken to ensure that pollutants, including untreated sewage, do not enter the Dal Lake. Hence, we constitute a joint committee," the tribunal said.

The joint committee will comprise the member secretary of J&KPCC, vice chairman of J&K Lake Conservation and Management Authority, deputy commissioner and district magistrate of Srinagar, a senior officer nominated by the Central Pollution Control Board and the Chandigarh regional office of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, it said.

"The committee will ascertain the sources of pollution in Dal Lake, 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 tribunal said.

It directed that the exercise be completed within three months.

The matter has been listed for further proceedings on December 2.