| File Note: |
Subject: Proceedings of the personal hearing given to M/s The Fazilka Co-Operative Sugar Mills Ltd., Village Bodiwala Pitha, Tehsil & Distt. Fazilka before refusal of 'consents to operate' under the provisions of the Water Act, 1974 & Air Act, 1981 by the Chairman of the Board on 24.04.2024............
The following were present:
From Board's side:
Er. Sandeep Bahl, CEE, Bathinda
Er. Rakesh Kumar, SEE, ZO, Bathinda
From industry side:
Sh. Malkeet Singh, CE............
It was brought out that the industry is sugar mill unit and engaged in production of White commercial sugar @ 125 TPD as main product and Bagasse @ 280 TPD, Molasses @ 56 TPD& press mud @ 36 TPD as by products using sugarcane @ 1250 TPD as raw material.............
The Central Pollution Control Board, New Delhi vide no. B-190198/WQM-II(RG)/ CPCB/Sugar/14/2016-17/9652-53 dated 13/16.12.2021 has issued directions u/s 18 (1) (b) of the Water Act, 1974 to the State Boards to issue appropriate directions to all the sugar mills operating in the State for compliance of order dated 21.9.2021 passed by the Hon'ble NGT in O.A. no. 71/2021 titled as Chandra Shekhar v/s State of Uttar Pradesh. One of the direction that all the units must ensure continuous running of ETPs even during the non-crushing season for the adequate maintenance of required bio-mass so that the ETP is able to take the load / shock when it receives the pollution load / effluent at the start of the crushing season............
Consents to operate under the provisions of Water Act, 1974 & Air Act, 1981 was granted to the industry with validity upto 31/03/2024, subject to the following special conditions that:-..............
1. The industry will ensure continuous operation of ETP even during the non-crushing season for the adequate maintenance of required biomass in compliance to the directions of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and shall operate the ETP efficiently to achieve the prescribed standards at all times..............
2. The industry shall develop adequate land area under plantation with proper distribution system so as to utilize its entire treated trade/domestic effluent and shall further ensure no stagnation / indiscriminate disposal of its effluent............
3. The industry shall maintain good house-keeping in and around the ETP and shall ensure regular operation/calibration of OCEMS installed at the outlet of the ETP.............
4. The industry will ensure to get its effluent sample analyzed from Board’s lab/approved lab of the Board, within one month after its re-commissioning in the coming season 2023-24...............
The industry was visited by the officers of the Board on 27.01.2024 and it was observed that:-.............
1. The industry was in operation............
2. ETP installed by the industry was in operation, however leakages were observed in the aeration tanks of the ETP and the housekeeping of the industry around ETP area was found to be poor..............
3. No record maintained regarding fresh water consumption................
4. The discharge of trade effluent @ 300 KLD is onto land for plantation of just 02 acres, which is not adequate. Moreover, the plantation developed in the 02 acres land area is not dense and housekeeping of the same needs improvement................
5. Wet scrubbers installed as APCD with the boiler furnaces of capacity 20 TPH each were not in operation and under maintenance. Moreover, site condition reveals that the said APCDs are not in operationable condition as weed/grass was found grown in the tanks..............
6. OCEMS installed at the outlet of the ETP, however the same was reflected offline on the Server of the Board................
7. Domestic effluent generated from the residential colony of the industry after treatment in septic tank is discharged into sugarcane farm...............
The industry has applied for extension in the validity of consents to operate under the Water Act, 1974 and the Air Act, 1981...............
The industry was visited by officer of the Board on 21.03.2024 and it was observed that:-..............
1. The industry was not in operation as it has closed its operations for the current season..............
2. ETP installed by the industry was under stabilization; however housekeeping around the ETP area was poor. The industry has not yet remediated the leakages observed during earlier visit...............
3. Plantation developed by the industry was not maintained / cleaned. Empty spaces were observed in the plantation area and moreover the plantation area of 02 acres is not adequate for disposal of effluent @ 300 KLD.............
4. Wet scrubbers installed as APCD were still not in operationable condition................
In view of above, show cause notice for refusal of consent to operate under the provisions of the Water Act, 1974 and Air Act, 1981 has been issued to the industry alongwith an opportunity of personal hearing before the Chairman of the Board on 24.04.2024.............
During hearing, the Chief Engineer of the sugar mill submitted written reply of the notice issued to it, which has been taken on record. He further stated that:-..............
1. Spillages were observed at the outer wall of the aeration tank during visit of the officer of the Board on 27.01.2024 due to fixed surface aerator system. The leakages observed in the primary clarifier have been plugged. Wild grass has been completely removed from the ETP area..............
2. Mechanical Water flow meter will be provided on domestic as well as on raw water supply pipeline for record of consumption of water................
3. Sugar mill is having 08 acres of agriculture land for plantation, out of which 2.5 acres is well developed with eucalyptus trees. Average daily flow of the treated wastewater of the last year is 66 KLD. More plantations of eucalyptus trees will be carried out in the coming rainy season............
4. The sugar mill is under huge financial loss since last 5 years..............
During hearing, it was deliberated that the sugar mill was earlier granted consent to operate under the Water Act, 1974 for discharge of treated trade effluent @ 300 KLD, however now the official of the sugar mill has mentioned that the discharge of 66 KLD only, which needs to be verified. No reply has been submitted w.r.t. the operational status of the APCD(s) installed with the boiler furnaces and also no reason specified for discharge of treated domestic effluent into sugarcane farms...............
After hearing the Chief Engineer of the industry and the officers of the Board, the Chairman of the Board decided that:-............
1. The applications applied by the industry under the Water Act, 1974 & Air Act, 1981 for obtaining consents to operate under the said Acts, are refused...............
2. The industry shall ensure continuous operation of ETP even during the non-crushing season for the adequate maintenance of required bio-mass in compliance to the directions of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and shall operate the ETP efficiently to achieve the prescribed effluent standards at all times..............
3. The industry shall ensure to operate its Air Pollution Control Devices (APCDs) in a scientific manner to achieve the emission standards at all times...............
4. The industry shall develop adequate land area under plantation with proper distribution system so as to utilize the entire treated trade/domestic effluent and shall further ensure no stagnation/indiscriminate disposal of its effluent...............
5. The industry shall apply for obtaining 'consents to operate' under the Water Act, 1974 & Air Act, 1981 after ensuring the compliance of the decision no. 2 to 4 above............
6. Environmental Engineer, Regional Office, Faridkot shall visit the industry, verify the compliance(s) on site and process the applications to be applied by the industry under the Water Act, 1974 & Air Act, 1981, on merits..............
Submitted for confirmation of the decisions of the proceedings of hearing dated 24.04.2024, please. |
