Panipat’s pollution surges amid industrial boom

Today, Panipat needs no introduction, having already established itself globally as the ‘Textile City.’ There is hardly any country on the world map where products made in Panipat are not exported. However, alongside its development as a textile industrial hub, Panipat has also become one of the critically polluted cities in the country. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the Panipat industrial cluster is listed among the critical polluting areas (CPAs).

Untreated industrial effluent flowing openly in the drains has become a common sight. The CPCB classifies the textile industry as one of the most polluting categories, as it significantly contributes to both water and air pollution. Additionally, the illegal mushrooming of bleaching units is a major cause of groundwater contamination in the area.

Known globally as the ‘Textile City’ and situated on National Highway-44 (NH-44), just 90 kilometers from the national capital Delhi, Panipat generates an annual turnover of around Rs 60,000 crore. Of this, approximately Rs 20,000 crore comes from export business, while Rs 40,000 crore from the domestic market. Around 400 small and large exporters sell products such as carpets, cushions, bed sheets, bed covers, blankets, curtains, bath mats, floor covers and towels across the USA, European countries, Japan, Australia and Gulf countries.

Apart from this, Panipat has emerged as a hub of the world’s largest recycling industry, manufacturing yarn from discarded clothes, which are sourced from various countries, without using chemical dyes or wasting water. The city produces over 30 lakh kg of yarn daily through this recycling process.

While over 20,000 small and large units operate in every street or household in Panipat, only 800 industrial units are registered on the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) portal. According to information, among these, seven are on the list of highly polluting industries, 450 fall under the Red Category, about 100 under the Green Category and around 300 are listed under the Orange Category.

Between December 2021 and April 2022, the CPCB surveyed 924 industrial units across the state to identify grossly polluting industries (GPIs). It was found that 413 units, identified as GPIs, discharged the highest levels of pollutants. The reports revealed that 45 percent of Panipat-based industries were discharging the highest quantity of the pollutants, followed by Gurugram with 25.2 per cent, Faridabad with 15.2 per cent and Sonepat with 10.2 per cent. Out of the total 413 GPIs, 181 were based in Panipat, 100 in Gurugram and 32 in Faridabad.

Additionally, the CPCB, in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, conducted a Comprehensive Environmental Pollution Index (CEPI) assessment. The study declared 43 industrial clusters, out of 88 listed, as critically polluted areas with a CEPI score above 70, including Panipat.

Drain-1 flows from Kabri Road to Chautala Road in the city but is heavily polluted as it carries untreated industrial effluent from the old industrial area and other industrial zones. Developed in 1949, the old industrial area houses around 300 operational industries but still lacks a Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP), leading to blocked sewage and visible chemical effluents in Drain-1. This polluted water mixes with Drain-2 after Chautala Road, which then flows into the Yamuna at Khojkipur village in Samalkha.

As per sources, over 350 registered dyeing units are registered in Panipat, but hundreds of illegal dyeing and bleaching units also operate, many located near these drains. While all industries are mandated to install and properly operate Effluent Treatment Plants (ETPs), many shut them down to save electricity costs, discharging untreated chemical effluents into Drain-2 with the help of tractor-tankers.

Recent samples collected from Khojkipur by the HSPCB revealed severe pollution. Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) at the sampling point was 60 mg/l, far exceeding the prescribed limit of less than 3 mg/l. Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), ideally zero, was found at 300 mg/l. Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) crossed 2,000 mg/l, against a safe limit of 650 mg/l. Water conductivity exceeded 2,870 and oil and grease content measured 42.5 mg/l, whereas the permissible CPCB limit is 10 mg/l.

Two CETPs, each with a capacity of 21 million litres per day (MLD), were set up in Sector 29 for treating industrial effluent, particularly from the dyeing units. However, these plants are now saturated due to increased effluent load.

A pollution board official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, cited several reasons for Panipat’s air and water pollution: the absence of a CETP in the old industrial area, lack of de-silting in drains 1 and 2 since their construction, saturation of CETPs in Sector 29 part-2, a delayed air-purification tower project and the presence of illegal bleaching units on the city’s outskirts.

Delhi-based environmentalist Varun Gulati alleged that some industries also dump effluents directly underground through borewells, contaminating groundwater.

Vinod Dhamija, Chairman of the Haryana Chamber of Commerce and Industries (HCCI), Panipat Chapter, said the industry has long demanded zero liquid discharge (ZLD) and a common boiler facility from the government. He added that if these two plants were established in Panipat, they would significantly help curb water and air pollution.

Bheem Rana, Chairman of the Haryana Environment Management Society (HEMS), said although air pollution was severe about four years ago, it has improved after industries shifted to biomass fuel and piped natural gas (PNG). He also mentioned a proposed new 21 MLD CETP for Sector 29, which, once constructed, will further reduce water pollution.

Kuldeep Singh, Assistant Environment Engineer (AEE), Panipat, said action has been taken against 42 industrial units, including 34 illegal bleaching units. All 34 bleaching units have been sealed and those located in controlled areas were demolished. The process of prosecution and imposing environmental compensation is set to begin soon, he added.