Need Framework for Waste Management, funds support for TTPs to cut pollution

he State Government must set up more Sewage Treatment Plants (STP) as presently the installed capacity to treat sewage at 2,787 MLD is less than the amount of sewage generated at 3,300 MLD, as pointed out by the KSPCB recently, according to FKCCI. This is in response to a media interview of the KSPCB Member-Secretary, Sri Srinivasulu to a national daily recently.

We agree with the KSPCB that there can be no one size fits all solution for resolving sewage and water pollution.

FKCCI urges the State Government to accept the Board’s suggestion to have large pits in the village outskirts to treat sewage, and use of Decentralised Waste Water Treatment Technologies (Dewatt) at the taluk level, which has been a proven success.

Need Framework & Rules for waste management companies

On waste management, FKCCI is happy that the Government has strongly wooed waste management companies but to take this forward, we suggest that for concrete interest from the prospective investors, the Government must immediately come up with a big framework, rules and support to establish such industries.

On its part, FKCCI is willing to handhold the prospective investors and guide them through the process.

FKCCI also hopes that the BWSSB will resolve the issue of optimising the use of STPs to their full capacity within the next 3 months, to address the problem of water pollution in Bengaluru.

Funds for TTPs

In this regard, we also request the Government to consider allocating Rs 3,000 cr to setting up of tertiary treatment plant (TTP) for sewage water as this would ensure the State capital will have 1,000 million litres of potable water which may be used by major consumers of water like parks, construction industry, horticulture, etc.

FKCCI would also like to laud the KSPCB for clearing the popular perception among the people that industries are the major polluters. The Board has rightly pointed out that the bigger polluters are the urban local bodies and the ratio of pollution was now 20:80 (industry versus ULB).  FKCCI has been regularly educating Industry & Trade to stringently follow all protocols on pollution announced by the KSPCB from time to time.

B.V. Gopal Reddy
President, FKCCI