New housing projects in the state will not get any drainage facilities from the state because the government is expecting the developers to set up Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) to reuse treated water.
Stating that the state will soon introduce a rule in this regard, minister for environment, ecology and ports Krishna Palemar said that all new housing colonies, gated communities and high-rises built on over 50,000 sq ft of carpet area will have to install their own STPs. He said that the government could not go on creating streams of sewage flowing out of every city and village.
Vrishabhavati River was in a poor condition because sewage was allowed to flow into it, Palemar said.
He said the government could not allow another river meet the fate of Vrishabhavati and was thus introducing the rules regarding STPs. Palemar said every city was growing in length and breadth and high-rise buildings seemed to be the future of housing in cities such as Bangalore, Mangalore and Mysore.
He said the urban development authorities of these cities would be directed to modify their rules to ensure that no big housing project was cleared unless it comprises an STP.
The rules will be framed by State Environment Impact Assessment Authority, headed by Srinikethan, chief of chemical engineering department at National Institute of Technology, Surathkal. Once the rules are finalised, Karnataka State Pollution Control Board, Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board and respective cities’ urban development department will have to clear the housing project.
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