Toxic waste dumped into Malpur khud

Ambika Sharma

Tribune News Service

Solan, March 8

Water in the Malpur khud in the Baddi industrial area turned blue as a tanker (Pb-12-AF-1465) dumped untreated toxic-ridden industrial effluents of a pharmaceutical unit into it this afternoon. The khud confluences into Sarsa river whose water quality was already under the radar of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) for failing to adhere to the laid norms.

Pharma unit tanker caught in the act

• A tanker (Pb-12-AF-1465) dumped untreated toxic-ridden industrial effluents of a pharmaceutical unit into the Malpur khud on Sunday afternoon.
• Officials of the State Pollution Control Board swung into action after being informed by the locals.
• They caught the tanker driver on the spot and also sought help from the police to book the driver for polluting the khud.

Caring two hoots for the damage that the toxic effluents would cause to the aquatic flora and fauna, the unit management had engaged a tanker to dump the effluents into this water body. The entire khud turned dark blue within no time as the toxic concentrated industrial effluents got mixed with water. This would further pollute the Sarsa river whose water quality has deteriorated over the years.

Officials of the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) swung into action after being informed by the locals. They caught the tanker driver on the spot and also sought help from the police to book the driver for polluting the khud.

Member Secretary, SPCB, Aditya Negi said the tanker fitted with a tractor had lifted the industrial effluents from a pharmaceutical unit Helios Pharma lying nearby as per their preliminary investigation. He said a team of officials caught the driver dumping the industrial effluents into the Malpur Khud but since the police did not arrive in time, he fled.

Negi said the officials of the pharma company would be taken to task for indulging in this gross irregularity as the water has been immensely polluted. He said it would be investigated as to how many times this tractor-trailer had indulged in this mischief.

The officials had drawn samples of the polluted water which would be sent for lab analysis. Negi said such instances were repeatedly coming to fore in the Baddi industrial area. A compensation of Rs 36 lakh has also been recovered from several units for violations.

Notably, the water quality of Sarsa river in Baddi was placed under ‘priority III’ by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) during an assessment based on the biological oxygen demand — dissolved oxygen needed by organisms to break down organic material and content-released in September 2018. It was found to be between 8 and 16 mg per litre as against the safe limit of 3 mg per litre.

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