SC vacates stay on Karnataka govt scheme to pump water to 2 districts

The Supreme Court Friday vacated its stay on Karnataka government's scheme to pump secondary treated water from its sewage treatment plants (STPs) in Bengaluru into irrigation tanks in Kolar and Chikkaballapur districts for recharging ground water table.

A bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna took on record the statements of Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) and state pollution control board that the water in the tanks was not meant for drinking and will be kept away from human access.

Senior advocate Shyam Divan, appearing for BWSSB, said the water which was kept for secondary treatment did not have any human access and was only intended to recharge groundwater in arid districts.

He said that sewage water would eventually percolate down to the ground which would take care of its impurities.

Divan said a detailed project report was prepared after taking into consideration all the aspects including the scientific opinion and lot of money has been invested in the scheme.

"We are always monitoring it through an online system and samples of the water are regularly taken," he said.

On January 7, the top court had stayed the Karnataka High Court order by which the state was allowed to pump secondary treated water from Bengaluru-based STPs to the minor irrigation tanks situated in Kolar District for recharging ground water table after taking note of a report which claimed that the water was contaminated.

On March 11, the apex court dismissed the Karnataka government's plea seeking vacation of stay on the ambitious scheme.

It however granted liberty to the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board and the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board to file appropriate applications for vacating the interim order.

R Anjaneya Reddy, a Chikkaballapur resident, challenged the September 28, 2018 high court order which allowed the state government to pump the water to the two arid districts.