A year of inaction: No clean water for Kasauli villagers despite NGT orders

More than a year after the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) flagged the presence of faecal coliform bacteria in a rural water supply scheme near Kasauli, no concrete action has been taken by the Jal Shakti Department (JSD) to address the issue. This alarming negligence persists despite direct orders from a committee constituted by the National Green Tribunal (NGT).

Advertisement

The contamination pertains to the Larah water supply scheme, which provides drinking water to several villages, including Garkhal, located near Kasauli. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), under the directive of the NGT, conducted laboratory tests on the water and found both faecal coliform and total coliform bacteria present—even after chlorination, the only treatment being used.

The Indian standard for drinking water (IS 10500: 2012) clearly states that water intended for human consumption must not contain E. coli, thermo-tolerant coliform, or total coliform bacteria. However, each time it rains, the turbidity of the water increases, forcing authorities to halt the supply, leaving villagers without water for days. Meanwhile, many residents — especially those who cannot afford advanced purification systems — are left with no option but to drink contaminated water, exposing them to serious health risks.

In April 2024, the NGT-appointed committee had sternly directed the JSD to install a sewage treatment plant (STP) and upgrade the purification system at the Larah scheme. However, JSD officials have failed to comply. No visible steps have been taken to improve water quality, and the villagers continue to consume unsafe water.

The issue first caught the NGT’s attention through a news report by The Tribune that highlighted pollution in the water source due to untreated effluents from a nearby brewery. In response, the Tribunal ordered the CPCB to investigate and assess the extent of the pollution.

Despite these developments, the JSD has also failed to request funding for improvements under the state-level “Mukhya Mantri Swachh Jal Shodhan Yojana,” which aims to upgrade 291 water purification schemes across 10 districts. Though guidelines were shared with field officials and schemes vulnerable to contamination were to be prioritised, the Larah scheme was overlooked in the first phase of funding.

Assistant Engineer Bhanu Uday of the JSD said they were in the process of preparing a detailed estimate to replace the current purification method. He also claimed that a sewage treatment plant couldn’t be installed due to the lack of space in the vicinity.

To make matters worse, there has been no enforcement against nearby tourism units that discharge untreated sewage near the water source, further contaminating it. This regulatory failure continues to endanger the health of hundreds of residents.

Regional Officer Anil Rao of the SPCB, Parwanoo, has now said that the matter of setting up an STP in the Larah area will be raised again with the Jal Shakti Department. Until firm action is taken, the people living around Kasauli remain at the mercy of polluted water and administrative apathy.