Daily Court Digest: Major environment orders (August 19, 2022)

The Supreme Court August 18, 2022 directed the secretary of the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), Kasargod, to submit a report on the medical and healthcare facilities available in

the endosulfan-affected areas of Kasaragod at various levels.

This would include district hospitals, general hospitals, community healthcare centres and primary healthcare centres.

The secretary of the DLSA should visit the healthcare facilities and submit a report on two aspects:

The report is to be submitted within a period of six weeks and the court would hear the matter October 21, 2022.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) August 18, 2022 directed the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) to submit its response on waiving off compensation for illegal extraction of groundwater

merely on the ground that the application for such permission has been later filed. CGWA must also explain the grant of permission to extract groundwater in over-exploited areas without

requisite safeguards.

The Tribunal also directed the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti to file a report on a “comprehensive water management strategy” which would help in preventing pollution and the use of potable

water for industrial purposes.

It had noted that industrial units functioning at the Barhi Industrial Area in Sonipat district, Haryana, were violating environmental norms by illegally extracting groundwater, despite an

NGT order of March 5, 2021. 

Despite this, remedial action had not been taken. Compensation was assessed. But instead of being recovered and spent for restoration, the same had been waived arbitrarily for “extraneous

reasons”, the applicant said.

A sanitation survey of Ashtamudi lake conducted by the Kerala State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) found that the main reason for the pollution of the lake water was the indiscriminate

discharge of sewage and dumping of solid waste from households and establishments.

A common sewage treatment plant (STP) of capacity 12 million litres per day is being constructed in Kureepuzha by the Kollam Corporation and is expected to be completed within one year. The

SPCB had granted consent to establish the STP. This STP will help in reducing sewage pollution to the lake.

Apart from the above major causes of pollution, coconut husk retting and related operations, though of small scale, were found to be carried out in the lake and contributed to pollution, the

Kerala SPCB report said.

The Supreme Court directed the Government of India to file a counter affidavit on the matter of pharma companies giving incentives to doctors for prescribing their drugs. The petition was

filed by the Federation of Medical & Sales Representatives Association of India.