Zira liquor factory: Committee finds ‘toxic substances’ in underground water samples around distillery unit

PTI

Ferozepur, April 4

A committee formed to examine the groundwater quality in and around a distillery in Zira here has found “toxic substances and certain other harmful chemicals” in the samples, according to a report it submitted to the administration.

The state government had formed the three-member fact-finding team to check the groundwater quality after villagers alleged the factory was polluting the water and causing air pollution and demanded it be shut down.

In the month of January, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had ordered the immediate closure of the plant after a months-long agitation against the unit by villagers.

The fact-finding team comprising Dr Manpreet Singh Bhatti of the Guru Nanak Dev University in Amritsar, Dr Dwarika Nath from Thapar Institute Patiala and Dr Indramani Dhada from IIT Ropar collected 13 samples, including seven from within the plant premises, besides six within a 5-km radius around the unit.

Further, five borewell samples were taken from Ratol Rohi village, two from Mahianwala Kalan village and one sample each from Zira city and Suner, besides two soil samples from various locations of the plant.

In the report submitted to Ferozepur DC Rajesh Dhiman, the committee stated that toxic substances, including lead, chromium, arsenic and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), and phenolic compound were found in the samples collected from the factory.

It was mentioned that parameters and values have been found above the permissible limit set for drinking water.

The report also said the concentration of lead found in water samples was 0.26 ppm (parts per million) which is more than the permissible limit of 0.01 ppm, besides the concentration of phenolic compounds and chromium was also higher than the specified limit.

The team found high concentrations of volatile fatty acids, besides other toxic elements in the soil samples collected from the plant site, as per the report.

However, it is mentioned in the report that due to limited understanding of the manufacturing process of the ethanol industry and its consumption of raw materials, the sources of the “toxic elements” used by the industry could not be ascertained.

As per the report, since there was no industrial activity during the last few months on the premises of the plant when the team was deputed to visit the site between December 26, 2022 and January 5, 2023, it is difficult to interpret water pollution indicators in connection with the unit.

“The samples were sent to three NABL accredited labs including SAI Lab in Thapar Institute Patiala, Shriram Institute for Industrial Research, Delhi, and CSIR IITR, Lucknow,” said the report.

Later, the members of ‘Sanjha Morcha’, which spearheaded the protest against the factory, held a press conference during which Gurmail Singh Sarpanch said this report proved that they had been fighting rightfully for the last eight months.

“The chief minister had asked us to bring a document which has some scientific proof, and now this report says it all,” said Gurmail, adding that due to the pollution caused by this plant, several villagers have lost their lives and cattle have also died.

The Sanjha Morcha members also urged the chief minister to impose a penalty on the plant and provide monetary help to the affected families.

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