NGT Orders Mapping Of Sewage Outfalls Entering Bhopal Lakes, Seeks Untreated Discharge Data

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued orders to the Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) focusing on sewage management and protection of Bhopal's lakes and groundwater recharge zones. The NGT emphasized that sewage leakage and untreated discharge can negatively impact surface water and groundwater quality. Authorities were directed to verify updated ward-wise and village-wise household sewer connection data, preferably for the year 2025-26.

They were also asked to provide details of sewage generation, collection, and treatment, separately for the BMC and the remaining district, in terms of Million Liters per Day (MLD). All sewage outfalls and drains entering various water bodies were required to be mapped, including GPS coordinates and flow measurements. The NGT ordered monitoring of STP-wise installed capacity, actual inflow, treated quantity, utilization percentage, technology, operational status, and consent/compliance status.

Additionally, details on households using septic tanks, frequency of de-sludging, authorized desludging vehicles, and final treatment/disposal arrangements were sought. The BMC was instructed to quantify untreated sewage reaching drains and water bodies during both dry and monsoon conditions, as well as monitor water quality upstream and downstream of major sewage outfalls.

Parameters such as BOD, COD, TSS, faecal coliform/E. coli, ammoniacal nitrogen, total nitrogen, and phosphorus were to be measured. A time-bound plan for closing the sewerage and treatment gap, including augmentation and interception/diversion of sewage, was also ordered. A district-level Sewerage and Septage Management Register was to be prepared, covering every urban local body and rural habitation, along with complete GIS mapping of sewer connections and non-sewered sanitation systems at the household level.

The NGT emphasized that all identified sewage drains must be intercepted and diverted before entering lakes, rivers, or other water bodies, and that every STP should operate at its designed/consented performance. The NGT also called for an investigation into under-utilization of installed capacity.