Making the effluent discharge released from the over 500 industrial units of SIDCUl area potable seems a distant reality in spite of the common Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) being installed and operational since 2008. Following National Green Tribunal’s guidelines, round of talks with the members of the SIDCUl Association and the office bearers of the State Industrial Development Corporation Uttarakhand ltd. ensued last year, but on the ground, it is yet to see the light of day. A detailed project report from IIT is awaited which might take a year or so, say the officials.
A common Effluent treatment plant was commissioned in 2007 and it became operational in 2008. Following the NGT guidelines, the SIDCUl office has been asked to make the water potable so that it can be re-used for irrigation, washing or fit for drinking by animals. Round of talks have been held with SIDCUl Manufacturers’ Association and Managing Director of SIDCUl. However, the process would take another year. When asked to comment, the chairman of SIDCUl Manufacturers Association of U’khand, Haridwar chapter, Harendra Garg said, “last year when the pollution control board did not give its NOC to the ETP we had a meeting with the SIDCUl managers. It is the office bearers who have to finalise the project.” As per the sources, in the year 2012, seven buffaloes of Gujjar community had died after drinking the water discharged from factories. The effluent waste water unites with the Ranipur Rau, a rivulet which further unites with Ganga, something that is a matter of concern for the Tribunal.
The SIDCUl regional manager Haridwar H R Nautiyal said, “We are planning to use advanced technology to combine the Sewage treatment plant and effluent treatment plant targeting for zero liquid discharge. At present, the capacity of the c-ETP is 4.5 MlDs which is sufficient enough to cater to the waste water discharged from manufacturing units. The process of seeking advice from consultants is on and soon it would be done.”
Speaking to The Pioneer, managing director SIDCUl Dr R Rajesh said, “A detailed project report from IIT is awaited which may take from six months to one year. After their recommendation, it would be decided whether the same company which commissioned the plant will be given the turnkey project or some other company shall be roped in.” NGT was informed recently it would take two years to implement the tertiary phase of the plant, added the MD. Almost 90% the industrial units are connected with this ETP and discharge from factories is 3.8 MlD(million litres per day).