Proposal to convert industrial sludge into bitumen mooted

Ambika Sharma

Tribune News Service

Solan, November 17

In a bid to ensure scientific management of industrial sludge, the Department of Environment has invited proposals from technical experts to convert it into usable bitumen which can be further used in infrastructure projects.

Industrial effluents when treated form sludge and its scientific disposal is equally important as it is toxic-ridden and the Central Pollution Control Board has laid down specific parameters for its disposal. According to the officials of the Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) operational at Baddi, on an average 1,200 ton sludge is generated from the 1,100 units which send their effluents to this plant from various industrial areas like Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh, Parwanoo and other industrial areas.

Other industrial units which dispose their effluents on their own are supposed to ensure that the sludge is not disposed of in the soil or water bodies as it can contaminate the soil and water. Cases of industrial units failing to ensure propose disposal of the sludge often come to fore. In a recent incident, officials of the State Pollution Control Board had found an industrial unit having amassed its 6-month sludge in violation of the norms.

The proposal of the Department of Environment will prove to be a boon for the industrial area of Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh (BBN), which accounts for 79 per cent of the state’s industry, if experts can provide technical guidance to convert it into bitumen. Officials in the department said since such a technology has been adopted in other places they were hopeful that they would receive valuable inputs from experts in this field.

“Some proposals have been received by the department where technical experts from Himachal and other states have sent their proposals to avail this project worth Rs 10 lakh. With the model code of conduct underway its scrutiny has been put on hold”, confirmed Archana Sharma, Director, Environment.

She added that they have been endeavouring to introduce clean technologies for the industrial areas and if sludge, which is considered a major cause of soil and water pollution, can be used as bitumen it will ease the industrial pollution to a large extent.

Though the State Pollution Control Board specifies the extent of effluents generated by an industrial unit while granting consent to operate but it was observed that some erring units do not treat the effluents optimally and dispose the untreated or semi-treated effluents surreptitiously in the water bodies of BBN. This contaminates the soil and water thus causing pollution in the BBN.