Indiscriminate Sewage, Industrial Waste Disposal Into Sabarmati River Turning It Into "Cesspool Of Dangerous Bacteria": Gujarat High Court

Expressing concern at the "indiscriminate" disposal of Ahmedabad's sewage and industrial waste into the Sabarmati river turning it into a "cesspool of dangerous" drug-resistant bacteria, the Gujarat High Court directed the concerned authorities to include all stakeholders for working out reutilisation of treated industrial wastewater.

A special division bench of Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal and Justice Vaibhavi D. Nanavati made the observations in its August 2 order while hearing a 2021 suo-motu plea concerning pollution of the Sabarmati river. The bench had earlier taken note of a video allegedly pointing to “flouting of standards” involving the Mega pipeline in the city.

"It was also observed by this Court, as noticed in the order dated 29.07.2024, that the use of industrial waste water for irrigation to grow vegetables, for almost three decades, has contaminated the soil with heavy metals. The indiscriminate disposal of city's sewage and industrial waste into the Sabarmati river has been turning the river into a cesspool of dangerous drug-resistant bacteria and toxic heavy metals that have contaminated sediments on the riverbed and harmed the aquatic life in the Sabarmati river," the bench underscored. 

The bench further said that "no efforts seemed" to have been made by the Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs) on the re-usability of industrial waste water after treatment, after taking note of the court appointed Joint Task Force's suggestion in its 2022 report to all CETP representatives on this aspect. 

Authorities to engage energy in bringing 'positive solution'

It thereafter directed the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB), the Ahmedabad Mega Clean Association (AMCA) and 7 CETPs "to engage all the stakeholders to workout the modalities in the direction of re- usability of industrial wastewater released by CETPs after treatment". 

The bench emphasized that Joint Task Force (JTF), GPCB, AMCA and CETPs–"all have to engage their energy in this direction to bring a positive solution" before the court, so that the "purity and sanctity" of the water the river can be maintained and "zero discharge" of industrial wastewater is achieved. 

On July 29, the high court had directed the GPCB to inspect all seven CETPS, after observing that the CETPs were not meeting prescribed discharge norms. 

Among other directions, it had asked the officers of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) and GPCB–who are members of the Joint Task Force (JTF) to give a joint affidavit as to when did they last make an inspection of the seven CETPs, and further asked it to conduct an inspection of the concerned areas and submit a report.

Joint Task Force's report on water sampling of CETPs

During the hearing on August 2, the high court took note of the JTF's report which had inspected all seven CETPS, sent the samples for testing, the results of which showed "no infraction on COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand), which is found as per discharge norms". However, the report said, that the "concentration values of TDS (total dissolved solids)" and the colour of the water was exceeding the relevant discharge norms prescribed for CETPs. 

GPCB's report on improvement of CETPs

Meanwhile the GPCB said that the inspections made in the last six months have shown "very positive results in the improvement of the CETPs and the resultant outfalls of the Mega Pipelines". The board further said that Mega Pipeline is being regularly monitored by it and "it can be said that the Mega Pipeline is meeting with the norms prescribed by the GPCB" with respect to critical parameters including Chemical Oxygen Demand, pH and Ammonia Nitrogen (NH3-N) in majority of the cases. 

On the inconsistencies in the analysis result of the wastewater samples for the critical parameters for the last six months, the GPCB said that has issued "Notice of Direction" to Ahmedabad Mega Clean Association in May this year to ensure that prescribed norms are achieved at the outlet leading to the Mega pipeline. 

Submissions attractive on face value, purity of water still compromised

Taking note of the submissions, the high court said, "Though these submissions seem to be very attractive on the face value, but the fact remains that the purity of water is compromised even after treatment of water. The ground water or the river water supplied to the industry, which is pure in all other respect, remains impure even after treatment by the CETPs, not meeting the standards of the prescribed norms". 

The high court said that it had in its 2021 order observed that all CETPs should focus on re-usability of water released by it after treatment. It said that this water should be diverted back to the industries which may further process it, use it in their units or directly use such water.  

The GPCB in its report said that industrial effluent is discharged into the Sabarmati river from two outfalls. The first is the outfall of Mega pipeline (operated by Ahmedabad Mega Clean Association) near V.N. Bridge in which around 35-50 mega litres per day (MLD) of industrial wastewater generated from Ahmedabad East region is treated in 6 CETPs.

The second is the treated effluent from the CETP of Narol Textile Infrastructure Enviro Management (NTIEM) wherein around 100 million litres per day (MLD) of treated industrial wastewater is finally discharged into the river.

GPCB further said that its Regional Office, Ahmedabad (East) regularly carries out the monitoring of all the 7 CETPs as well as 2 industrial outfalls–Mega Pipeline and outfall of NTIEM CETP into river Sabarmati at V.N. Bridge, Narol as per the prescribed outlet norms. The board's counsel said that sampling of the wastewater from CETPs and the two outfalls are also being regularly carried out.

The matter is next listed on August 30. 

Case title: Suo Motu v/s Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation through its Municipal Commissioner and Others

Suo motu v/s Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation and Others