New Delhi, Oct 31 (IANS) Minister for Water Resources Pawan Kumar Bansal said here Monday that the government was considering suggestions for setting up a ‘standing tribunal’ to deal with water-related disputes among states.

Bansal, who released the Central Water Commission Report ‘Water Quality Hot-spots in Rivers of India’, told reporters that he had received suggestions from experts, including judges who are members of inter-state water commissions, to have a standing tribunal to deal with inter-state water disputes.

He said the tribunal would have benches and the same court room can be used by various benches in rotation.

The minister said the disputes could be referred to the tribunal.

Bansal also said rivers need to be protected from untreated sewage being poured into them.

He said that the report will serve as a foundation for in-depth pollution studies by the Central Water Commission.

The report will be sent to chief ministers and pollution control boards so that they can take necessary steps for the prevention of pollution of rivers, he said.