VIJAYAWADA: THE Environment Department has appointed Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MA&UD) secretary as the nodal authority for the establishment of sewage treatment plants (STPs) by March 31, 2021 in five polluted stretches identified across rivers Krishna, Godavari, Tungabhadra, Kundu and Nagavali by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The deadline was set by the National Green Tribunal.
According to an order (RT- 56) issued by special chief secretary Neerabh Kumar Prasad on Wednesday, the major reason identified by the Central Pollution Control Board for pollution in the five river stretches was discharge of untreated sewage in Vijayawada, Tadepalli, Rajamahendravara, Srikakulam, Kurnool and Nandyal. The biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) in the said stretches is over the prescribed limit of 3 mg/litre. The sewage generation from the said six municipalities and municipal corporations is about 456.6 million litres per day (MLD), while the existing treatment capacity is only 160.4 MLD. The capacity of STPs under construction is 54.2 MLD, and STPs to be constructed is 242 MLD.