Environment Compensation fixed on civic body for failure to comply with waste management rules at Brahmapuram
The Kerala State Pollution Control Board (PCB) has fixed an Environment Compensation of ₹10.05 crore on the Kochi Corporation for the civic body’s failure to comply with the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, at its Brahmapuram facility.
The assessment period is from April 9, 2019 to October-end. A report based on inspections conducted by board officials and the State Level Monitoring Committee (SLMC) on Solid Waste Management will be submitted before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) soon.
The corporation will get a chance to present its views at the meeting of the committee scheduled for November 8. The PCB blamed the civic body for its failure to make improvements or take sufficient rectification measures at Brahmapuram for the last nine years. The dump site of the corporation has been functioning without the authorisation of the board as per the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016.
The Environment Compensation of ₹10.05 crore will include capital cost, operation and maintenance cost and environment externalities by considering the average waste generation as 365.19 tonnes a day (April 9, 2019 to October-end based on the quantity of waste collected for May, June, and July). The Environment Compensation was fixed presuming that the corporation had provided waste management facility for only 10% of the total waste generation (considering that it is transferring a portion of plastic waste to recyclers) as per the formula derived by the Central Pollution Control Board and as directed by the NGT at its hearing held on October 14. We learnt that preliminary steps for the assessment of environmental damage caused by the unscientific and unauthorised operation of the solid waste management facility will be taken at the next meeting of the SLMC. This is over and above the Environment Compensation fixed by the board.
The cost of environmental damage will be arrived by a committee of experts and officials of the Central Pollution Control Board.
Penalty
The NGT had slapped a penalty of ₹1 crore on the Kochi Corporation in October 2018 for its failure to manage solid waste. The High Court had stayed the order for two months in November 2018 on condition that the civic body shall provide a bank guarantee for ₹1 crore.
Bank guarantee
The corporation had submitted a bank guarantee of ₹50 lakh each to the State Pollution Control Board and the Central Pollution Control Board respectively following the directive.