Ensure Industries Reduce Discharge Of Effluents In River: CPCB To HSPCB
Gurgaon:Â A total of 413 industries in the state have been discharging untreated effluents into the Yamuna, a survey by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has fo und. These industries will now be asked to submit in 30 days a plan on how they intend to stop the discharge of pollutants into the river.
Industries dealing in textiles, oil and refinery fertilisers, chemicals, and food and beverages operate in clusters in Gurgaon, Ballabgarh, Faridabad, Panipat and Sonipat. Since these factories use a huge quantity of chemicals for production, they end up generated ting effluents that are high in ammoniacal nitrogen and nit- rates. In the absence of any treatment plants in most of these units, the polluting ef fluents end up in the Yamuna and increase its toxicity.
The CPCB survey inspected 924 gross polluting industries (GPI) across the state and tested their effluents. Of these, the samples of 413 industries were found to have high contents of ammoniacal nitrogen and nitrate.
The survey which was carried out between December 2021 and April 20122-found that an ammoniacal nitrogen load of 277.4 kg/day and a nitrate load of 188.9 kg/day were being discharged into the nearby waterbodies through drains and tributaries. In the end, all such pollutants are finding their way into the Yamuna, the survey said.
At 45%, industries in Panipat were found to be dischar ging the highest quantity of pollutants.
While Gurgaon was second on the list, accounting for 25.2% of the discharges. Faridabad contributed 15.2%, Sonipat 101% and Bhiwani 2.3%.
In numbers, 181 of the polluting industries were identifled in Panipat, 100 in Gurgaon. 32 in Faridabad and the remaining in Sonipat, Jhajjar and Rohtak Among sectors,textile accounted for 64.2% of the polluting industries discharging effluents into the Yamuna.
The CPCB asked its Haryana counterpart to ensure that all the identified industries curtailed the discharge of ammoniacal nitrogen, nitrate and phosphate and adopted a cleaner technology to treat waste.
Haryana pollution board officials, however, said they would act accordingly to reduce the effluents into the Yamuna.
“Haryana has many unauthorised units. There is hardly any action on such units,” said Varun Gulati, a Delhi-based activist.
