Eshwar Khandre is the Minister for Forest Ecology and Environment | Photo credit: FILE PHOTO
Forest and Environment Minister Eshwar Khandre said in Belagavi on Thursday that domestic sewage produced from residential areas of municipalities and villages in the basin is directly or indirectly entering 12 rivers in the state, causing death of marine life and affecting the lives of residents of 30 urban and rural areas.
Answering a question from member Darshan Puttannaiah in the Aassembly, he said a time-bound action plan had been prepared to revive such rivers.
The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board seeks to effectively implement the Water Pollution (Control and Prevention) Act 1974 and issues establishment permits and operating approvals under Sections 25 and 26 of the 1974 Act.
These include ensuring that waste water produced by industry is treated and reused. It is the duty of the industries to establish sewage treatment plants for the treatment of sewage and its purification and treatment according to the prescribed quality standards and reuse.
Although several urban local bodies have set up solid waste management units and sewage treatment plants, there is still a need to treat 203 million liters of water per day. As many as 19 ULBs are working to set up sewage treatment plants.
The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board has also proposed to adopt a wetland treatment system to treat sewage entering rivers through drains. The committee filed criminal charges against officials in 11 cities and issued notices to officials in 12 others.
Published – 18 Dec 2025 20:18 IST
