NMC's failure in treating sewage to attract 1.5 times penalty

NMC's failure in treating sewage to attract 1.5 times penalty

                                                                                      

NAGPUR Municipal Corporation (NMC) will have to pay 1.5 times penalty on purchase of raw water if it fails in treating sewage in the Orange               City.

Maharashtra Water Resources Regulatory Authority (MWRRA) has issued direction in this regard to local body in Bulk Water Tariff Criteria (2013-2016) released recently. NMC is spending Rs 1.5 crore per month, that is. Rs 18 crore per annum, on purchase of raw water from Water Resources Department (WRD). If local body fails to treat complete sewage, it will have to pay fine to the tune of 1.5 times the amount of total purchase of water to the Government. MWRRA has finalised criteria for bulk water purchase and suggested some action for Municipal Corporations or Urban Local Bodies.

Dr Suresh Kulkarni.  MWRRA Secretary, in a letter informed Municipal Commissioner Shyam Wardhane thai local body should set up Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) for I (X) per cent treatment of sewage water. NMC should submit plan, or it will have to pay 1.5 times the applicable rates tor purchase of rawwater.

Presently, the local body is treating only 80 per cent of the sewage and it will require 100 per cent treatment. NMC has signed an agreement with Mahagcnco for supplying treated water for power generation units in Koradi and Khaperkheda. The local body will earn Rs 15 crore per annum from Mahagenco. As per directions, the tariff of treated sewage water will be decided by MWRRA approval only. The MWRRA will also levy five times penalty for annual use of water beyond 110 per cent of prescribed norms.As per MWRRA directions. Municipal Corporations will have to recovernot only ope raiionand maintenance charges but also sewage treatment charges with capital cost. Alread). this has been laid down in directions issued by Urban Development Department in August 2010. NMC will have to allocate 20 per cent in the budget for sewage treatment The local body Should raise corpus for sewage action plan for next five years. MWRRA has also asked NMC to ensure 100 per cent metering system in at the areas and to submit a report by December 2014. The local body will have to submit 'annual water return" to MWRRA giving ail details of water use, treatment, and recycling.

Municipal Commissioner Shyam Wardhane confirmed this development and said. "NMC is planning to treat 100 per cent sewage in coming days. The revised budget will have allocation of 20 per cent of total budget for sewage treatment system. If we fail to treat 100 per cent sewage, the local body will have to pay the penalty."

Posted in: News 2014