The Karnataka High Court on Friday allowed the State government and its agencies to re-start pumping of treated water from the Sewerage Treatment Plants (STPs) in the Koramangala-Challaghatta (KC) valley of Bengaluru to fill minor irrigation tanks in Kolar and Chikkaballapura districts for recharging the groundwater.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Dinesh Maheshwari and Justice Budihal R.B. permitted release of water after the Minor Irrigation Department, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) and the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board submitted reports of analysis of treated water at different levels, including at two jack well collection points, and was satisfied that the results of the water analysis met the specified standards as per the Environmental (Protection) Rules.
The court on July 24 had restrained the government from re-starting the pumping of treated water following reports of water contamination. The authorities had on July 13 stopped pumping of treated water as untreated water had accidentally mixed with the treated water due to heavy rain.
However, after the government assured that the system has been readied for release of water, the court on September 11 permitted authorities to temporarily conduct a trial run of the system to collect treated water at two jack well collection points only for the purpose analysing treated water. The testing of the treated water collected during the trial run met specified environmental standards.
Meanwhile, the bench on Friday directed the government to test the treated water released to the tank and submit test reports to the court after 15 days while adjourning for three weeks further hearing on a PIL petition, which had complained that the KC valley project has been implemented without a property scientific study.
