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Report on Kharicut Canal by the Gujarat Pollution Control Board and the Urban Development and Urban Housing Department, Gujarat, 02/11/2020

  • 02/11/2020

Compliance report submitted to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in response to the NGT order September 1, 2020 in the matter of Original Application No. 105/2019 (Ajitsinh Bharubha Vaghela Vs State of Gujarat). The matter related to untreated industrial effluents being discharged in Kharicut canal, which is meeting Khari river in Gujarat affecting irrigation facilities of the inhabitants. The Kharicut canal is the only source of water for irrigation and for consumption by animals like cattles and sheep.

Additional Chief Secretary, Urban Development & Urban Housing Department (UD&DH) has convened three review meetings with the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), Irrigation Department and Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) for implementation of the directions issued by the NGT order of September 1, 2020.

The report stated that out of 169 outlets, at present no discharge of sewage was observed from 156 outlets. Out of the remaining 13 outlets, 3 are of sewage treatment plants (STPs) discharging treated waste water. The work for the remaining 10 outlets to divert sewage into the existing drainage line with an overall budget of Rs. 25.81 crore is under progress.

AMC has installed online pH Measurement at the Vinzol trunk main pipeline of domestic sewage carrying waste water to the Vinzol STP of 35 and 70 MLD in August 2020. For the augmentation and repairing work at Vinzol STP of 70 MLD Rs.5.50 Cr has been spent for the pumping machineries and pH meter with hooter system at additional cost of 29.47 lakhs installed.

Under Sujalam Sufalam Jal Sanchay Campaign‐2018, AMC had taken up the task of cleaning the Kharicut Canal by a using number of machineries like JCBs, excavators, tractors and cleaned approximate 31446 metric tonnes of waste from Kharicut canal. Along the Kharicut canal, old drainage and illegal connections were regularized under the 'Nal Se Jal' Scheme, old connections were permanently closed and diverted from Kharicut canal outlet to regular drainage network. Under this scheme a total of 1971 houses connections have been regularized, added the report of November 2, 2020.

The report emphasised that the Irrigation Department, AMC and GPCB are jointly making maximum efforts to stop the flow of industrial waste water and domestic Sewage in Kharicut Canal.