CPCB pulls up Uttarakhand board over violations at 3 waste treatment plants

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has pulled up the Uttarakhand Pollution Control Board over continued violations by three common effluent treatment plants in Haridwar, Pantnagar and Sitarganj, and directed it to take immediate action, including levying environmental compensation.

In an order issued on Tuesday, the CPCB said the plants, located in industrial areas developed by the State Infrastructure and Industrial Development Corporation of Uttarakhand Limited (SIIDCUL), were meeting neither the inlet effluent quality standards nor the treated effluent quality norms.

The central board's inspection revealed that all three plants -- Haridwar of 9 MLD (million litres per day) capacity, Pantnagar (4 MLD) and Sitarganj (4 MLD) -- were consistently non-compliant with treated effluent quality standards for key parameters such as biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and heavy metals like iron, chromium and nickel.

Common effluent treatment plants (CETPs) are treatment systems that are specifically designed for collective treatment of industrial waste generated within a cluster of industries.

The CPCB said the Haridwar CETP, operated by M/s SK UEM Water Projects Pvt Ltd, received highly polluted industrial effluent, far above than permissible limits, indicating that several member industries were not operating their primary treatment systems.

Similar lapses were recorded at Pantnagar and Sitarganj CETPs, operated by private entities under SIIDCUL.

The central board also pointed out that despite repeated directions and imposition of environmental compensation of Rs 3.71 lakh on Pantnagar and Rs 10.43 lakh on Sitarganj, the penalties were not deposited by the operators concerned.

The CPCB has now directed the state pollution control board to form a surveillance team to ensure compliance with inlet standards, prepare a time-bound action plan for operational improvement of treatment plants and recover pending environmental compensation from operators.

The state board has been asked to report compliance within 30 days.