Mohali: Untreated sewage from Green Enclave in Sector 118 continues to be a source of environmental concern, with wastewater having earlier been discharged into vacant land behind TDI City, leading to water stagnation. The issue has reached the National Green Tribunal (NGT), which has directed a joint committee of senior district and civic officials to take preventive and remedial measures.In an affidavit filed before the NGT on Nov 5, environmental engineer Vipan Kumar Jindal of the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) stated that the Mohali municipal corporation had initiated the installation of a 500 KLD (kilolitres per day) sewage treatment plant (STP) to treat domestic wastewater generated from Green Enclave, Daun village.The affidavit, filed in response to applications in the original application, stated that during earlier inspections, sewage from Green Enclave was found flowing into vacant land behind TDI City, causing water stagnation.Following an NGT order dated Dec 8, 2025, a joint committee comprising the deputy commissioner, Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (Gmada) chief administrator, municipal commissioner, divisional forest officer, a representative of the Water Supply and Sewerage Board and the district town planner was constituted to prepare an action plan and address the problem.According to the committee’s report dated Jan 23, 2026, a portable 500 KLD STP was proposed near Green Enclave. Gmada subsequently approved Rs 382.9 lakh on Jan 16, 2026, in favour of the municipal corporation for laying a pipeline from Green Enclave and maintaining the treatment plant.During a site visit on Sept 28, the PPCB environmental engineer observed that the STP was based on Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR) technology. Its treatment process comprises a collection tank, bar screens, MBBR, a treated water tank and other components.The corporation has also submitted a work order dated March 13, 2026, for laying a pipeline from Green Enclave to around seven acres of panchayati land in village Ballomajra, near Gateway City. The treated wastewater is proposed to be utilised on this land through karnal technology.However, the project has triggered objections from Green Enclave residents, who have approached the NGT seeking a stay on the installation of the STP, claiming that the proposed site is around 900 metres from their houses.The PPCB has stated that neither it nor the Central Pollution Control Board has prescribed a minimum distance requirement for setting up an STP. It added that the exact distance from the applicants’ houses could be verified by the revenue authorities.The board has recommended fresh consent to establish the STP under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, and the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, for one year, subject to conditions. These include restricting the use of the seven acres of panchayati land exclusively to the disposal of treated effluent through Karnal Technology.The matter remains before the NGT, which will consider the submissions and the progress of remedial measures.
