Panel to check water quality at Jodhpur treatment plant

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Tuesday constituted a high-powered committee to look “acute” acid intake in the water coming to the common effluent treatment plant (CETP) in Jodhpur.

The panel will give its suggestion in the matter after visiting the treatment plant.

The CETP of 20 MLD capacity was established for the treatment of polluted water released from the textile and steel rerolling industries operating in Jodhpur. A court commissioner appointed by the NGT had found that the amount of acid in the polluted water reaching the CETP inlet was high.

During the previous hearing by the NGT in the matter, it was revealed that the Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board had not fixed the CETP inlet quality standard in compliance with the Ministry of Environment and Forests notification. Taking the matter seriously, the NGT had given necessary directions to the officials of the environment ministry.

During the hearing on Tuesday, when scientists and officers, present in court, were asked to inform about the standards required for CETP, they could not give any answer.

“Having regard to the facts that industries, with growth of inhabitation, are being surrounded by residential areas and the fact that discharge of toxic materials by such industries so much so that the inlet of the CETP contains pH to the extent of 0.7, which would be extremely difficult to be neutralised or diluted, we are of the considered opinion that in the instant case, the situation is alarming and immediate steps need to be taken to obtain the report from the committee of experts of the field so that remedial measures and steps, in accordance to law, may be taken up against defaulters,” the NGT said.

“It is rather a sorry state of affairs that despite of directions to senior scientists of Ministry of Environment and Forest as well as Central Pollution Control Board at Delhi for doing the needful on urgent basis, they have failed to do their duty. Therefore, the tribunal is compelled to constitute a special high-powered committee for submitting their report to assist the tribunal to take further remedial measures,” said the NGT division bench comrising justice Raghuvendra S Rathore and expert member Satyawan Singh Garbyal.

The committee members comprise Prof Akhilendra Bhushan Gupta from NIT Jaipur, Prof Ajit Pratap Singh from BITS Pilani, and former CPCB member secretary AB Akolkar.

The committee has been asked to visit CETP to give an opinion with regard to standards required for the CETP in accordance to the notification and also to give the suggestions as to how inlet of present CETP containing pH is to be neutralised. The NGT has also ordered the committee to inspect the two industries.

“We direct that in case the Committee finds that these industries are operating without permission under law or that they are noncompliant, in any respect, then the same should be immediately ordered to be shut down,” the bench said.

The next hearing has been scheduled for November 16.

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