Vacuum tankers carrying faecal sludge must be registered in Delhi, should have GPS: Authorities

Vacuum tankers carrying faecal sludge will be registered in Delhi and they should be equipped with GPS device to track their location, authorities decided on Wednesday.

Besides, all these tankers must be mapped to Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) where such vehicles can take their sludge for discharge.

The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Lt Governor Anil Baijal to review problems related to "Faecal material disposal in drains of Delhi and bad odour near drains and Violation of C&D material disposal rules in Delhi".

The meeting was convened by Environmental Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA) Chairman Bhure Lal at Raj Niwas here.

In an official statement, the LG office said that it was informed in meeting that nearly 4 million litres of septage/faecal sludge is collected per day in the national capital.

According to the statement, nearly 50 per cent of population in Delhi is dependent on-site sanitation systems like septic tanks especially in the periphery of the city.

These septic tanks are cleaned using private operators and the faecal sludge is often dumped in drains, it stated.

"All vacuum tankers in the city should be registered. All tankers must have GPS so that the movement of the vehicle can be tracked," it stated.

"All tankers must be mapped to STPs where they can take their sewage for discharge. Each STP must keep record of the sewage coming from the tankers; the location and volume," it stated.

On the construction and demolition material disposal, authorities asked agencies to improve collection and disposal system in the city.

Among the action which need to be taken include installation of CCTV cameras along ecosensitive zones (Yamuna flood plains and ridge) to monitor illegal dumping of C&D waste, it stated.