15 days to fix STPs: Karnataka warns apartments of criminal action over sewage pollution

Large apartment communities across Karnataka, including Bengaluru, must make their sewage treatment plants operational within 15 days. Industrial layouts have been given three to six months to comply. Karnataka has tightened its crackdown on sewage discharge and pollution of lakes, rivers and other waterbodies, putting large apartment communities and industrial areas on strict deadlines to comply with environmental norms. The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) fixed the deadlines during a review of pollution levels and the board’s functioning on Monday. Environment and Ecology Minister Ramalinga Reddy directed officials to step up inspections and take criminal action against apartment complexes found violating pollution-control rules. The immediate deadline is for large apartment communities. Residential complexes with more than 80 units are required to have sewage treatment plants (STPs) on their premises and treat the wastewater generated there. According to the minister, KSPCB records indicate that more than 500 apartments have violated the norms, with many of them having stopped operating their existing STPs. Also Read: September LPG shock: Commercial cylinder price rises by ₹9.50 Officials do not yet have an exact list of all such apartment complexes. As a result, scientific officers have been instructed to conduct a survey of buildings with more than 80 units and verify their STP operation records. Once notices are issued, apartment communities will have 15 days to comply with the pollution-control requirements and ensure their STPs are fully operational. Those who continue to violate the norms could face criminal proceedings. The seriousness of the issue is highlighted by Bengaluru’s sewage figures. The city receives around 2,000 million litres of water per day (MLD) and generates nearly 1,800 MLD of sewage every day. Of this, around 1,200 MLD is treated and discharged, while nearly 600 MLD is reportedly entering waterbodies without treatment. Reddy said inspections have found several apartment STPs that have remained dysfunctional for years. Some sewage treatment plants operated by the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) are also not functioning. The minister has directed officials to issue notices to apartments with non-functional STPs. He has also asked the BWSSB chairperson to take steps to repair and restore the defunct STP units under the board. The government’s action is not limited to residential communities. Industrial layouts across Karnataka are also under the pollution-control scanner. Reddy pointed out that a very small number of industrial layouts developed by the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) currently have operational sewage treatment plants. There are 187 KIADB industrial layouts across Karnataka, but only 11 of them have STPs, according to the minister. Also Read: BMTC launches new metro feeder route from KR Market to Bilekahalli The government has now directed the KSPCB member-secretary to issue a notice to KIADB. The industrial layouts have been given three to six months to either establish STPs or make their existing systems fully operational. The move is part of Karnataka’s efforts to reduce both air and water pollution, particularly in industrial areas, in line with the objectives of the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) and the National River Conservation Plan. Meanwhile, the pollution-control crackdown has also reached the entertainment industry. A popular Kannada reality show is scheduled to begin its new season in less than a week, but its shooting location at Jollywood Studio in Bidadi has come under the KSPCB’s scanner. The pollution control board has threatened to stop operations at the studio over alleged environmental violations and the failure to obtain mandatory consent. According to Minister Ramalinga Reddy, a KSPCB inspection conducted in 2025 found that the studio did not have a functional STP. As a result, sewage was being discharged into open drains. The inspection also found garbage being dumped near the STP area. In addition, large diesel generators were being used without the required authorisation. Reddy said neither the studio nor its promoters had applied for the mandatory consent from the pollution control board so far. The studio, therefore, cannot resume or continue shooting without complying with the environmental requirements and obtaining permission from KSPCB, the minister said. With apartment communities, industrial layouts and commercial establishments now under closer scrutiny, the state government has made it clear that sewage treatment and pollution-control systems cannot remain non-functional. For large apartments, the deadline is 15 days. For KIADB industrial layouts, the compliance window is three to six months. At the same time, establishments such as Jollywood Studio must obtain the required environmental consent and address the violations identified by KSPCB before continuing their operations. The government’s latest directions are aimed at preventing untreated sewage and other pollutants from reaching Karnataka’s lakes, rivers and other waterbodies.