Did the EPCA give the government a means to treat drain sludge 10 years back?
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Did the EPCA give the government a means to treat drain sludge 10 years back?

Why then do agencies still use outdated methods of removing faecal sludge from drains and septic tanks? 

Did the EPCA give the government a means to treat drain sludge 10 years back?

Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority, or EPCA, has warned authorities of dire consequences if they fail to tackle the menace of highly toxic sludge in drains.

The issue was brought up at the United Residents’ Joint Action (URJA) seminar held yesterday at the convention centre of New Delhi Municipal Council.

Dr Bhure Lal, EPCA chairman, said, “Sludge in the city drains has crossed permissible limits. The authorities need to take immediate action on this serious issue. The toxic gases emitted from rotting sludge is severely impacting the quality of breathable air. The EPCA has been raising this issue for the last 10 years now.”

He added, “In 2007, our team submitted a detailed report on this issue to both the Centre and the state government, recommending an immediate solution. We had also spoken of a new mechanism to remove faecal sludge. It has been 10 years since we submitted our report, but agencies continue to use old methods to remove sludge from water and septic drains.”

To exemplify his point, Dr Lal cited the death of four sanitation workers just last week — they died from inhaling toxic gases while cleaning a septic tank in South Delhi. “You can well imagine how life-threatening these toxic gases can be! Sludge can kill. That’s why I say sewage must be treated before being released in drains.”