MC sewer lines: With no checks, pickling units are discharging untreated liquid waste

The pickling industry uses strong acids to remove rust and other impurities from steel. Big and small — according to rough estimates, there are approximately 1,500 pickling units in Ludhiana. These units use hydrochloric acid (HCl) and other chemicals to clean the steel.

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According to rough estimates, approximately three lakh litres of HCl/acid are used and discharged directly into MC’s sewerage on a daily basis.

There were many other industries that were directly pumping out untreated water into sewer lines. Pickling and electroplating industries, should also be on the radar of the authorities. Badish Jindal, FOPSIA president

Pankaj Sharma, a member of the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), said a zero liquid discharge (ZLD) unit would be installed in Ludhiana to treat water discharge.

“We went to Tarapur, Maharashtra, in March to see one of these plants. The PPCB intends to build a water treatment plant on similar lines. The work is slow but has started,” Sharma added.

The PPCB member said no one was permitted to discharge untreated water.

FOPSIA president Badish Jindal expressed similar views, claiming the state lacked a treatment plant for discharged water containing HCl. “The government intends to build one such treatment plant, with the cost of water treatment kept to a minimum so that as many industries as possible can benefit from it. It is believed the installation of this treatment plant will cost around Rs 40 crore. The large pickling industry will pool 75 per cent of the funds, while the small industries will contribute 25 per cent. In 2014, the government enacted the Poison Sales and Storage Act, which required the maintenance of a proper record of how many dealers were present and how much acid was sold to whom. The report was supposed to be prepared every month, but after ten years, the act is still not being implemented in its true spirit,” Jindal added. The gas tragedy in Giaspura is another example of a mishap due to acid and chemicals used in the dyeing, pickling and electroplating industries being discharged without prior treatment.

Bobby Jindal, a member of the Punjab Dyers Association, said every time the issue of Buddha Nullah came up, everyone blamed the dyeing industry. “However, there were many other industries that were directly pumping out untreated water into sewer lines. Pickling and electroplating industries, should also be on the radar of the authorities,” Jindal added.

It should be noted the PPCB held a meeting with industrialists on this issue and formed a committee whose members would monitor acid usage, stockpiles, etc, until the treatment plant is installed.