Objection to the Gujarat Pollution Control Board report by the applicant, Aditya Singh Chauhan on industries polluting Sabarmati river, 10/10/2023
Objection to the report of the Gujarat Pollution Control Board by the applicant, Aditya Singh Chauhan on industries polluting Sabarmati river.
The report points out that there are 672 industries in the area who are members of common effluent treatment plant (CETP), Ahmedabad Hand Screen Printing Association (AHSPA), but the report deals with only 55 industries. The zero liquid discharge (ZLD) units in the area as given by Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) was 55 units only - whereas to the best of knowledge of the applicant total ZLD units in the area is more than 200.
The fact regarding the number of industries with ZLD permission in the area can be verified from the numbers of notices issued by the GPCB for submitting no drainage pipeline connection in the month of July 2023. To the best of knowledge of the applicant not a single unit have submitted any certificate from AMC in compliance of the notices that there is no drainage pipeline connection. These industries are continuously discharging the industrial effluent and violating the conditions prescribed under ZLD permissions.
The appicant said that GPCB is advocating amending the ZLD - which again is another pretext to ensure continued operation of these erring industries. On the issue of ZLD violations, when it is established by the joint committee report that all the industries with ZLD permission are violating the terms and conditions of the ZLD permission and are discharging untreated or partially treated effluent and are causing heavy pollution in the Sabarmati river, "how can the GPCB officials think to continue to allow such activities and propose to amend the conditions from ZLD to river discharge through CETP of 30 MLD only," the applicant asked.
The GPCB proposal to amend the ZLD condition to river discharge through CETP will cause irreversible damage to river Sabarmati. "There is no justifiable ground for discarding a progressive technology such as ZLD and reverting to old system which is difficult to monitor and ensure compliance and as such is regressive and ineffective to control pollution." the applicant said.
The matter related to 672 textile processing units in Behrampura and Danilimda and their wastewater discharge polluting Sabarmati river.