20 Rewari units issued notice for letting go untreated effluents into sewer lines

Ravinder Saini

Rewari, April 27

Over 20 industrial units here have been found to be releasing effluents directly into sewer lines, causing adverse impact on the functioning of the two sewage treatment plants (STPs) operating on the Nasiaji road in the city.

All these units have been put on notice, telling these not to release the effluents into the sewer lines in future. The local office of the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) in Dharuhera town has also been urged to take appropriate action against the units.

Hitting treatment parameters

As per the analysis report received from the HSPCB Laboratory in Faridabad, the inlet parameters of the STPs have been found to be on the higher side than the designed standard as some industries are releasing effluents into domestic sewer lines. —NGT official

The matter came to the fore when the Public Health and Engineering Department (PHED) officials filed a reply in the National Green Tribunal (NGT) recently in a case in which it had been alleged that the STPs were discharging sewage into hundreds of acres of the vacant land of the dried-up Sahabi river, leading to the contamination of the groundwater and also damaging vegetation.

The action was initiated when samples of inlets of the STPs were found exceeding the permissible limits of the environmental parameters.

“As per the analysis report received from the HSPCB Laboratory in Faridabad, the inlet parameters of the STPs have been found to be on the higher side than the designed standard. The PHED officials visited the town and observed that some industries are releasing effluents into domestic sewer lines. The effluents are coming to the STPs and affecting their standard parameters of treatment,” said a PHED official in the NGT.

He added that the traced mixing points of the industrial effluents had been disconnected, while the units had been served notices. Now, the PHED and the HSPCB officials were jointly making efforts to stop the untraced mixing points of the industrial effluents into domestic sewers on a wider level.

Bhagi Ram Verma, SDO (PHED), Rewari, told The Tribune that these factories, located in Uttam Nagar, Delhi Road and Nasiaji road in the city, were mainly engaged in the recycling of waste plastic, brass melting etc.

“As per the rules, all factories are bound to set up effluent treatment plant (ETP) on their premises to treat the effluents before releasing these into the sewer lines, but none of the units have the ETPs, hence we have written to the local office of the HSPCB for further inquiry into the matter and appropriate action against the erring units,” said Verma, adding that the inspection was still underway, hence more such units were likely to be found releasing untreated effluents into the sewer lines.

Vinod Balyan, Regional Officer, HSPCB, Dharuhera, confirmed that the PHED officials had intimated his office about norms’ violations by the factories. “We will initiate an inquiry into the matter,” he added.