CAG finds 16.44% sewage treatment capacity only, despite 2021 deadline

Who it concerns: Government of West Bengal, including the West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB), Public Health & Engineering Department (PHED), and various Urban Local Bodies (ULBs).

What the auditor found

• A gap of 4,560 MLD existed between estimated sewage generation (5,457 MLD) and the installed capacity of Sewage Treatment Plants (897 MLD) as of March 2021.
• Approximately 85% of total sewage generated was released into the River Ganga without treatment.
• The State Water Policy had not been framed 12 years after the National Water Policy of 2012.
• Only 6 out of 128 Urban Local Bodies were covered under Faecal Sludge and Septage Management as of November 2023.
• Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) for Mirik Lake, costing ₹36.30 crore, were completed in June 2019 but were not operational.
• BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demand) in the River Ganga exceeded prescribed limits in 15-46% of tests, and Faecal Coliform (FC) exceeded norms in 74-97% of tests between 2018 and 2023.
• The Action Plan for River Ganga rejuvenation was not revised to account for updated sewage estimates from 402 drains, relying instead on initial estimates from only 55 drains.
• A zero industrial wastewater plan had not been prepared by WBPCB as of March 2024.

Also in the document

• CAG found that despite a National Green Tribunal deadline of March 2021 for 100% sewage treatment, the installed capacity covered only 16.44% of the estimated sewage generation.
• CAG noted that untreated sewage was draining directly into the River Ganga because project proposals for connecting 22 drains to STPs had not been prepared by the implementing agency (KMDA) until December 2023.
• CAG reported that water quality monitoring for the East Kolkata Wetland, an ecologically important area, ceased after June 2018 to May 2019, preventing assessment of sewage treatment efficiency.