| File Note: |
<p style="text-align: justify;">The agenda note and report / recommendations of AEE/EE, RO, may kindly be perused.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The 16th meeting of State Apex committee was held under the Chairmanship of the Learned Chief Secretary, Punjab on 12.10.2021 and it was decided that the sampling of the STPs under repair/ rehabilitation/ up-gradation/ stabilization should be collected after completion of their work/ stabilization.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">In this regard, the Punjab Water Supply & Sewerage Board vide letter no. PWSSB/D-II/17748 dated 21.10.2021 had provided a list of 9 STPs under stabilization/ repair/ up-gradation/ overhauling. As per this list, stabilization of STP of capacity 12 MLD located at Malak Road, Jagraon was to be completed by 31.12.2021 and thus, the Government of Punjab, Department of Science Technology & Environment Directorate of Environment & Climate Change has asked the Board to carry out the sampling of above said STPs only after the completion of work.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The Punjab Water supply & Sewerage Board failed to stabilize/up-grade STP Jagraon (12 MLD) and accordingly, the Executive Engineer, PWS&SB and the Executive Officer Municipal Council, Jagraon were given personal hearing before the Hon'ble Chairman of the Board on 05.05.2022, wherein it was decided as under:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">1. EC is imposed against Municipal Council, Jagraon for non-achievement of effluent standards from Jan, 2022 to 05.05.2022.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">2. Environmental Engineer, Regional Office-3, Ludhiana shall calculate EC for the no. of days of violations, get it verified from EC Committee constituted by the Board within 07 days. A separate order for the imposition of EC shall be passed, accordingly.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">3. The basic responsibility of achievement of standards at outlet of STP remains with Municipal Council. Thereafter, MC shall maintain and operate sewage treatment plant regularly and efficiently, so as to achieve the effluent standards consistently as prescribed by the Board.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">4. Letter be written to Principal Secretary Local Govt. Punjab to get the STP of capacity 12 MLD rectified immediately, so as to achieve the effluent standards consistently as prescribed by the Board.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">5. Further action in the matter will be taken on the receipt of report from Environmental Engineer, Regional office-3, Ludhiana.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">In compliance to the decision no. 1 & 2 of the personal hearing, the Environmental Compensation from 01.01.2022 to 05.05.2022 was calculated and sent to the EC verification committee.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The STP was visited by officer of the Board on 07.06.2022 and it was observed that that neither the STP has been made operational nor any work has been started for its stabilization/ rehabilitation. The concerned department had provided a permanent arrangement to bypass the entire untreated domestic effluent into adjoining Aligarh drain leading to River Sutlej and no domestic sewage is received at inlet of STP. No effluent was seen at the final outlet of STP and thus, monitoring of STP was not carried out. Further, no arrangement was available at site to collect untreated domestic effluent from the bye-pass arrangement.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The Municipal Corporation, Jagraon had failed to comply with decision no. 3 of the personal hearing dated 05.05.2022 and was violating the provisions of the Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 by discharging untreated effluent directly into the drain leading to River Sutlej.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Accordingly, notice u/s 33-A of the Water (Prevention & control of Pollution) Act, 1974 as amended in 1988 was issued to The Executive Officer, Municipal Council, Jagraon along with an opportunity of personal hearing before Chairman of the Board on 01.09.2022 and it was decided as under:-</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">1. Environmental Compensation is imposed against Municipal Council, Jagraon for non-achievement of effluent standards upto 31.08.2022.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">2. Environmental Engineer, Regional Office-3, Ludhiana shall calculate Environmental Compensation for the no. of days of violations, get it verified from EC verification Committee constituted by the Board within 07 days. A separate order for the imposition of Environmental Compensation shall be passed, accordingly.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">3. Municipal Council, Jagraon shall maintain and operate sewage treatment plant regularly & efficiently and shall ensure that entire effluent is being treated in STP by 30.09.2022 and no effluent shall bye-pass the STP.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">4. Regional Office-3, Ludhiana shall collect legal sample u/s 21 of the Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 after 30.09.2022 shall be collected from the STP and submit conclusive report.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">5. Municipal Council, Jagraon shall made clear that no further violation under Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 will be observed after 30.09.2022. In case of failure, prosecution shall be filed against the Municipal Council, Jagraon in the Competent Court of Law, without giving any further opportunity of personal hearing.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">6. Letter be again written to Principal Secretary Local Govt. Punjab to get the STP of capacity 12 MLD rectified immediately, so as to achieve the effluent standards consistently as prescribed by the Board.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Accordingly, the Environmental Compensation was calculated and sent to the Competent Authority of the Board for verification from the EC verification committee. The matter is being process separately.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Now, the STP has applied for ‘Consent to Operate’ under the Water Act, 1974 and the Air Act, 1981. The MC, Jagraon has deposited Rs. 8,00,000/- (Rs. 4,00,000/- Water fee + Rs. 4,00,000/- Air fee) consent fee through online transaction no. C042239127654 dated 20.04.2022 and has informed that they are unable to link the fee with the applications. The MC, Jagraon has also submitted the copy of bank statement as proof of transaction. The DCFA has been requested to issue receipts of the Consent fee deposited by STP Jagraon (12 MLD Module) vide this office letter no. 15 dated 05.01.2023. The fee deposited by the STP is adequate upto 31.12.2026 under both acts as Board’s letter no. PPCB/2018/3769-3806 dated 30.01.2019.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The compliance of the remaining decisions of the personal hearing dated 01.09.2022 is as under:</p>
<table style="text-align: justify;" border="1" width="673" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="73">
<p>S. No.</p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="306">
<p>Decisions of personal hearing</p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="294">
<p>Compliance</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="73">
<p>1. </p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="306">
<p>Environmental Compensation is imposed against Municipal Council, Jagraon for non-achievement of effluent standards upto 31.08.2022.</p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="294">
<p>Draft calculation has been sent vide e-noting no. 19028045.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="73">
<p>2. </p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="306">
<p>Environmental Engineer, Regional Office-3, Ludhiana shall calculate Environmental Compensation for the no. of days of violations, get it verified from EC verification Committee constituted by the Board within 07 days. A separate order for the imposition of Environmental Compensation shall be passed, accordingly.</p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="294">
<p>Draft calculation has been sent vide e-noting no. 19028045.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="73">
<p>3. </p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="306">
<p>Municipal Council, Jagraon shall maintain and operate sewage treatment plant regularly & efficiently and shall ensure that entire effluent is being treated in STP by 30.09.2022 and no effluent shall bye-pass the STP.</p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="294">
<p>The MC, Jagraon is not operating bypass and is operating MPS of STP. Untreated water is just passed through defunct STP. No work regarding rehabilitation started by the Punjab Water Supply & Sewerage Board, till date. The PWSSB had raised the amount of 132.49 lacs with the Municipal Council, Jagraon for maintenance of STP. The MC, Jagraon has deposited Rs. 25 lacs with PWSSB in December, 2022. </p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="73">
<p>4. </p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="306">
<p>Regional Office-3, Ludhiana shall collect legal sample u/s 21 of the Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 after 30.09.2022 shall be collected from the STP and submit conclusive report.</p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="294">
<p>The legal samples have been collected by AEE of this office on 11.01.2023 and sent to Head Office Lab for analysis and results are tabulated below.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="73">
<p>5. </p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="306">
<p>Municipal Council, Jagraon shall made clear that no further violation under Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 will be observed after 30.09.2022. In case of failure, prosecution shall be filed against the Municipal Council, Jagraon in the Competent Court of Law, without giving any further opportunity of personal hearing.</p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="294">
<p>--</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="73">
<p>6. 6</p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="306">
<p>Letter be again written to Principal Secretary Local Govt. Punjab to get the STP of capacity 12 MLD rectified immediately, so as to achieve the effluent standards consistently as prescribed by the Board.</p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="294">
<p>--</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">It is pertinent to mention here that Board vide letter no. 1625 dated 25.01.2021 has issued directions under 18(1)(b) of the Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 to PMDIC for installation of OCEMS for self-surveillance of STPs. However, the MC, Jagraon has failed to install the OCEMS till date. Further, the legal samples have been collected by officer of the Board on 11.01.2023 and report has been received in this office on 30.01.2023. The detail of analysis report is as under:-</p>
<div style="text-align: justify;" align="center">
<table border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="68">
<p>S.N.</p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="119">
<p>Parameters</p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="102">
<p>Inlet of STP</p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="108">
<p>Outlet of STP</p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="133">
<p>Prescribed standards</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="68">
<p>1. </p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="119">
<p>pH</p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="102">
<p>7.3</p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="108">
<p>7.6</p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="133">
<p>6.5-9.0</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="68">
<p>2. </p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="119">
<p>TSS (mg/l)</p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="102">
<p>192</p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="108">
<p>136</p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="133">
<p>100</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="68">
<p>3. </p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="119">
<p>BOD (mg/l)</p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="102">
<p>140</p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="108">
<p>105</p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="133">
<p>30</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="68">
<p>4. </p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="119">
<p>F-Coli (MPN/100 ml)</p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="102">
<p>1,70,000</p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="108">
<p>1,10,000</p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="133">
<p>1000</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>
<p style="text-align: justify;">As per analysis report, BOD, COD & F-Coli parameters are beyond the permissible limits of the Board. The STP is not complying with the provisions of Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act 1974.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Keeping in view of the above, it is recommended as under:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">1. Consent to operate under the Air (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 may be granted to the STP upto 31.12.2026 after confirmation of consent fee.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">2. Applications for obtaining ‘Consent to Operate’ under the Water Act, 1974 may be refused.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">3. Notice u/s 33-A of the Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act 1974 may be issued to the MC, Jagraon and the Punjab Water Supply & Sewerage Board with an opportunity of personal hearing before the Competent Authority of the Board.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Competency : Hon'ble Chairman of the Board.</p>
<p> </p> |
