To go further, BWSSB amended its wastewater regulations in March 2016, mandating the installation of existing and new TCSs of more than 20 or more units connected to its sewer system. And while new non-compliant buildings would simply be denied a water connection if they were not compliant, the regulation set levies for existing buildings of 25% of the monthly water bill for the first three months, and then 50% of the bill until they are compliant. OFFHAND (to share some immediate thoughts): Explained: « …. about 1900 STPs out of a total of 3,348 apartments of size 20+ connected to the BWSSB network have so far been fined. The data, it seems, is at first glance incomplete. If so, more information could be a useful guide for those who sail/are doomed to run aground and expect to sail in the same boat. Points of doubt: 1. Aren`t the figures given too small compared to the actual field? Because according to an assumption or a random survey, there should be a much larger number of complexes that number in the thousands, especially in the old developed places, without STP. 2. How many of them are serious about challenging the case in a legal dispute without submitting in a demeaning manner to the coercive measure of the authority; and what positive steps have been taken so far to take an effective step forward? If there is none and all the others, such as relevant information, have not been received/available, it might be helpful to have a court before the move. The author of the article can be happy to share with others the necessary additional information, as soon as possible, on the lines indicated above; to prove to be a useful guide to moving forward.
Over the years, the city of Bengaluru has developed not only horizontally – outside the sewage network – but also vertically: previously channeled areas are experiencing a multiple increase in wastewater produced per hectare as detached houses are replaced by large apartments. In the absence of a sewer system at the periphery (see map in Figure 1), the KSPCB`s order to require the installation of PTS in residential complexes was still understandable, albeit fraught with pitfalls, as seen in Part I of this series. Many homes have refused to connect to the grid, even though it exists, and instead continue to dump sewage into rainwater drains. In other areas, such as the Lake Agara watershed, wastewater passes through the BWSSB`s own pipelines, but flows directly into Lake Bellandur, simply because the BWSSB does not yet have sufficient wastewater treatment capacity at this site. Some apartments adjacent to the lake fall under the old KSPCB rule, but secretly dump sewage into the lake. Also keep in mind that SPCB staff are directly responsible/guilty if your STP suffers from design, construction, manufacturing, safety or ergonomic issues. (see my bengaluru.citizenmatters.in/defective-sewage-treatment-plant-apartments-kspcb-notice-legal-liability-42768 follow-up article). So if you complain, they will not remain neutral and will try to thwart your efforts to defend yourself. It is therefore necessary to persevere! Since October of this year, SHEPA receives invoices with these additional fees: About 1900 STP out of a total of 3,348 apartments of size 20+ connected to the BWSSB network have so far been fined.
Thus, what was originally (see Part I of this article) an order that applied only to new projects in non-powered areas (Bangalore Periphery) has become, through a series of missteps, a regulation that applies retroactively to existing dwellings already connected to the BWSSB sewer system. .