Plants dumping treated wastewater into drains: PPCB report
In report submitted to during the National Green Tribunal (NGT) hearing, the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) submitted in a report on Wednesday that the common effluent treatment plants (CETP) have been dumping treated wastewater into drains, officials said.
In report submitted to during the National Green Tribunal (NGT) hearing, the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) submitted in a report on Wednesday that the common effluent treatment plants (CETP) have been dumping treated wastewater into drains, officials said.
They added that this comes despite the state’s previous commitments that the treated water would be used for irrigation.
On Wednesday, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the Ludhiana deputy commissioner also submitted status reports in the case related to 54 dyeing units.
In May, the NGT issued a notice to the authorities, seeking status reports on the dyeing. After a recent order from the DC, officials conducted sampling at 12 locations in the Buddha Nullah.
The NGT’s notice came after it took suo motu cognisance of a report, ‘Ludhiana PPCB report flags 54 dyeing units in Buddha Nullah’s catchment’, published in these columns on April 26, 2024. The report highlighted environmental concerns related to industrial pollution in the Buddha Nullah.
Another PPCB report submitted in an earlier case revealed that the water in Buddha Nullah was ‘unfit for irrigation’ due to high levels of biochemical oxygen demand and chemical oxygen demand. These elevated levels were reportedly caused by discharge of wastewater from dyeing units in the area.
The CPCB report said that that during a meeting on January 11, it was directed that quality testing of Buddha Nullah waters be carried out to ensure the effectiveness of completed sewage treatment plant (STP) projects. The CPCB and state environment secretary have been named as respondents in the case due to their alleged failure to comply with a Supreme Court order requiring all CETPs to be fully functional within three years from February 17, 2017. According to the CPCB report, the CETPs are still not in compliance.
The PPCB report also details the status of three CETPs. The CETP on Tajpur Road, serving 108 dyeing units, is meeting most standards but discharges into Buddha Nullah, resulting in a ₹25 lakh environmental compensation fine. The Focal Point CETP, serving 67 units, faces a ₹75 lakh fine and a ₹1 crore bank guarantee, with ₹25 lakh already encashed due to violations. The Bahadur Ke Road CETP, serving 36 units, was fined ₹1.77 crore for similar infractions.
The PPCB report clarified that no relaxations have been given to scattered units after March 2023.