Central pollution board asks Haryana to ensure augmentation of STPs in 3 districts
:Taking a serious note of the industrial and domestic wastewater being discharged in the Yamuna river through ditch drains, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has directed the Haryana government to ensure augmentation of sewage treatments plants (STPs) in industrial cities of Yamunanagar, Panipat and Sonepat districts.
CPCB chairman SP Singh Parihar has written to the engineerin-chief of the public health engineering department that augmentation of the capacity of STPs and laying down of sewerage system at Yamunanagar and Sonepat is required, whereas the augmentation of sewerage conveyance system of Panipat city for 100% utilisation of existing treatment facility is required.
In the letter, of which HT has a copy, the Haryana government has been told to make STP installed at Rathdana village of Sonepat district operational.
Also, the public health engineering department has been told to submit the compliance report and time-bound action plan within a month of the date of receipt of directions issued on May 1. The copies of the letter were also marked to the chief secretary of Haryana and the chairman of Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB).
Notably, industrial and domestic discharge from these industrial cities was the main source of pollution in the Yamuna water.
The HT had earlier reported that there was no pollution in Yamuna water in Haryana before the industrial and domestic waste from Yamunanagar got mixed it in via Dhanora escape canal at Nabipur village of Karnal district.
An inspection team of the officials from CPCB and National Environmental Engineering Research Institute formed on the directions of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had monitored the water quality of Yamuna at different locations of Wazirabad, Palla, Sonepat, Panipat and Yamunanagar in December last year to assess and identify the source of pollution in the river.
The team had observed that the capacity of STPs at Yamunanagar, Panipat and Sonepat was not as per the requirement and the untreated sewage was being discharged to ditch drains. These drains later merged into Yamuna at different locations.
A senior official of Haryana public health and engineering department, seeking anonymity said, “We are working on these directions and work has already been completed on Yamunanagar STP.”
“We have prepared a plan to ensure that entire domestic and industrial waste could be treated”, he added.
DIRECTIONS ISSUED TO CHECK POLLUTION IN PANIPAT, SONEPAT AND YAMUNANAGAR DISTRICTS