Minister for Forests and Ecology Eshwar Khandre said in Belagavi on Thursday that domestic wastewater generated from residential areas of municipalities and villages in the river basin is directly or indirectly entering 12 rivers in the State causing death of marine life and affecting the lives of residents of 30 urban and rural areas.

Responding to a question by member Darshan Puttannaiah in the Aassembly, he said that a time-bound action plan has been prepared to revive such rivers.

The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board is trying to effectively implement the Water Pollution (Control and Prevention) Act 1974 and is issuing establishment permits and operating consent letters under Sections 25 and 26 of the 1974 Act.

These include ensuring that wastewater generated by industries is treated and reused. It is the duty of the industries to adopt wastewater treatment plants to treat wastewater and treat and purify it to the prescribed quality standards and reuse it.

Though several urban local bodies have set up solid waste management units and sewage treatment plants, there is still a need to purify 203 million litres of water per day. As many as 19 ULBs are working on setting up sewage treatment plants.

The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board has also suggested adopting Wetland Treatment System for treating sewage entering rivers through drains. The board has filed criminal complaints against officials in 11 towns and issued notices to officers in 12 others.