Budda Nullah --Deadline for polluters

deepak pace

DJ_DEE
The state government has set yet another deadline for the local dyeing industry to ensure discharge of effluents into Budda Nullah as per the stipulated standards of the Punjab Pollution Control Board. The industry has been asked to start complying to the norms by May 31, failing which strict action would be taken against the erring units. The units have been directed to make sure that all discrepancies in effluent treatment plants are removed and the water discharged through the drain carries effluents not more than the limit fixed by the board.
Chairman of the board Yogesh Goel said the decision was taken at a meeting of industrialists, board officials and the Chief Secretary on January 16 and the industry had been intimated about the deadline.
Meanwhile, the Federation of Dyeing Factories’ Associations, Ludhiana, claimed they were not polluting the nullah. Passing the blame onto municipal corporation as well as electroplaters, office-bearers of the federation said the National Environment Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur, had given the dyers clean chit.
Chairman of the federation VK Goyal said NEERI, in its interim report submitted to the High Court, had stated that the experimental results of the studies conducted with treated effluents from ETPs of textile dyeing industries indicated no mortality of fish in 96 hours of exposure in discharge samples.
“This shows that the effluent generated from textile dyeing industries can be treated to safe level,” said Goyal. He added that NEERI had recommended that deficient individual ETPs must be scientifically designed and upgraded to meet the stipulated needs for discharge into the nullah with respect to all parameters, including complete colour removal.
Reacting to The Tribune’s campaign against pollution in the nullah, the dyers said the government, Pollution Control Board, industry as well as the district administration had done a lot to check pollution in the nullah. The dyeing units could not be held responsible for the diseases and deaths in villages situated alongside the nullah as they were not discharging chemicals.
 
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