Water pollution being caused by some steel industrial units in the town is playing havoc with the health of people here. Though industrial units claimed to adhere to the pollution control norms and deny discharging liquid pollutants, the Pollution Control Board had recently served notices on two industries after finding pollutants in discharged liquid by industries. Reports said the board had collected water samples from a nullah meant for the discharge of rainwater in the industrial area after residents complained about it during the monsoon season. Sources said the laboratory analysis of the samples showed that it contained suspended solid, oil, grease and iron, which exceeded the permissible limits. The Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) had served a show-cause notice to Jindal Stainless Steel and Hisar metal industries on the basis of these reports under Section 33A of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974. The PCB had collected the samples of effluent from the final discharge point of the unit in the drain near a cycle stand. A similar notice was served to Hisar metal industries, which said results of the analysis report of effluent had exceeded the permissible limit of the total suspended solid, oil, grease and iron. Terming it a gross violation of the Act, the PCB asked the unit to reply within 15 days of serving the notice. Regional officer of the HSPCB at the Hisar branch office Vinay Gill, while confirming to serve notices to the two industrial units, said both the units had denied discharging the effluents in the nullah. He, however, maintained that the units had promised to upgrade their effluent treatment plant (ETP). “The pollution board would not allow any violation of norms and we would inspect the upgraded ETPs in the next visit to the units shortly,” he said. However, even after denying discharge of effluents, the rainwater nullah flows through the town filled with coloured water that emanates just at the start of the cycle stand near the Jindal unit. The PCB official maintained that the industries were not allowed to discharge effluents in the rainwater nullah. The information gathered under the RTI information revealed that the Jindal Stainless unit, which is one biggest units in the country, with a capital investment of Rs 1,413.45 crore, used 4,19,686 metric tonnes (MT) hot rolled strips/SS plates, 12,389 MT nitric acid, 1,416 MT hydrofluoric acid, 455 MT sulphuric acid and 1660 MT ammonia during 2010-11. The sanctioned power load of this unit is 1.25 lakh KW. Krishan Kumar Lohia, an RTI activist, who is the president of the Hisar Small Industries Welfare Association, alleged he had asked the pollution board to provide him a sample report and two sealed bottle of the same water sample for sending the same to other laboratories for the reconfirmation of the board report. “But the board refused to provide the sealed bottle, which raises suspicion about the results of the analysis report. The effluents discharged through the nullah is being drained out in the fields, which results in environment degradation and causes harm to the people,” said Lohia. OP Agrawal, an official of the Jindal industries, however, maintained that they had installed a treatment plant, which is bigger than the required capacity at the unit, so there is no question of releasing untreated water in the nullah. Wreaking havoc * The PCB had recently served notices on two industries after finding pollutants in the discharged liquid * The laboratory analysis of the samples showed that it contained suspended oil and grease, which exceeded the permissible limits * The rainwater nullah, containing coloured water, flows through the town