Water woes | Karnataka amends law, makes in-situ STP mandatory for residential complex in Bengaluru with over 120 apartments

However, in areas that are yet to be serviced by underground drainage lines, in-situ STP is mandatory for all projects with over 20 units. 

Karnataka government has provided relief to apartment communities in areas with Under Ground Drainage (UGD) lines, essentially the core city, by amending rules for in-situ Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs). Henceforth, only those apartment complexes with over 120 units and producing over 80 Kilo Litres per Day (KLD) of sewage have to install an in-situ STP. 

At present, an STP is mandatory for projects above 50 units. But, smaller STPs are capital intensive and inefficient. The Bangalore Apartments’ Federation (BAF) has lobbied hard for this amendment.

However, in areas that are yet to be serviced by UGD lines, in-situ STP is mandatory for all projects with over 20 units. 

A notification was issued by the Department of Forest, Ecology and Environment on March 12. The order will be prospective and apartments that already have established smaller STPs have to continue with their operation. The new notification also provides some relief to commercial projects in areas having sewerage lines.

Satish Mallya, Vice-President, BAF, said, “The amendment has come as a great relief for apartment projects in Bengaluru. In our experience, smaller STPs are not feasible and are a drain on the communities while being ineffective and not serving the purpose as well.” 

In 2016, the State Government issued an order mandating an in-situ STP in all group housing projects above 20 units across Bengaluru, and even made it retrospective. This led to widespread protests and forced apartment communities to unionise for the first time.

“BAF was birthed in the fight against this order. We have come a long way since then. Now, political parties even have apartment manifestos before elections. To that extent, we have influenced policy,” said Srikanth Narasimhan, one of the founders of BAF, who now heads the Bengaluru Navanirmana Party.