2 plastic waste recycling units found discharging effluents into sewer lines

Ravinder Saini

Jhajjar, March 18

Untreated chemical-mixed liquid is being discharged into sewer lines by some factories in the Bahadurgarh region of the district in violation of the environmental norms.

It came to the fore when a team of the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) raided two such factories in Parnala village here yesterday and found them guilty of discharging chemical waste directly into the sewer lines. No effluent treatment plant was set up in any of the reprocessing of plastic waste units, said sources.

They said the action was taken by the HSPCB while acting on a complaint alleging that both the units were being run without fulfilling the mandatory parameters set to protect the environment.

“These factories were being operated for the past few months. Plastic waste was brought here from Delhi for reprocessing. It was first shredded and then washed in the units to make it usable again,” the sources added.

Amit Dahiya, Assistant Environmental Engineer, HSPCB, Bahadurgarh, said untreated liquid waste couldn’t be discharged directly into the sewer lines or any water body, hence every industrial unit was mandatorily required to install effluent treatment plant on its premises to treat the dirty water as per the Provisions of Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1974.

“The samples of the liquid waste of both the units — Shri Shyam Plastic and Shiv Guru Plastic — have been taken and sent for laboratory test. Since the HSPCB chairman has the power to seal such factories so he has been apprised of the situation. Further action will be taken as per the report of the samples,” Dahiya said, adding that many such units had been sealed in the past after being found polluting the water by discharging effluents.