| File Note: |
Kindly peruse that the subject unit is a scattered dyeing unit which has not adopted Zero Liquid Discharge. The unit was earlier granted Consent to Operate under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, valid up to 30.06.2023, for discharge of treated trade effluent @ 100 KLD and domestic effluent @ 0.5 KLD into the municipal sewer.
In view of non-adoption of ZLD, the unit was issued notice under Section 33-A of the Water Act along with notice for imposition of Environmental Compensation, and was afforded an opportunity of personal hearing before the Chairman of the Board on 12.03.2025. After considering the material facts on record, it was decided that the unit shall not carry out any dyeing activity until submission of a concrete proposal for upgradation of its ETP to ZLD or shifting to a suitable location, shall restrict operations only to washing, laundry, bulking, and finishing activities during the intervening period, shall submit a Bank Guarantee of Rs. 2.0 lakh as an assurance of compliance, and shall deposit Environmental Compensation of Rs. 1.0 lakh on account of non-compliance with prescribed effluent standards. The Regional Office was directed to ensure compliance through surprise inspections.
During a subsequent inspection conducted on 12.08.2025, the unit was found in operation and engaged in dyeing activities in violation of the above decision. It was further observed that no Bank Guarantee had been submitted, no proposal, progress report, or PERT chart for ZLD had been furnished, and no civil or technical work for ZLD implementation had been initiated at site. Accordingly, directions were issued to PSPCL for disconnection of electricity supply and the unit was restrained from operating wet processes without prior permission of the Board. The unit was visited again on 14.10.2025, during which wet processing machinery was sealed, and electricity supply was subsequently disconnected by PSPCL on 23.10.2025.
Now, the industry has applied for grant of Consent to Operate under the Water Act, 1974 and the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 under the Orange category for washing activity only, along with a request for restoration of electricity connection. During verification visit on 14.10.2025, the unit was found non-operational due to power disconnection, wet processing machines were found sealed, the existing ETP was operational with treated effluent being discharged into the sewer, and the unit had submitted the Bank Guarantee of Rs. 2.0 lakh as well as deposited Environmental Compensation of Rs. 1.0 lakh. The unit also furnished a written undertaking that no dyeing activity would be carried out in future.
The unit has further clarified that as per the latest CPCB categorization, it generates trade effluent @ 48 KLD from washing activity only and that the earlier figure of 100 KLD was inadvertently mentioned. It has also stated that the existing boiler is required solely for steam generation for washing activities. As per the minutes of the meeting held on 13.07.2022 to review compliance of directions issued under Section 5 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 vide order dated 10.10.2019, all water-polluting industries, except garment washing units, are required to stop discharge of industrial effluent into the municipal sewer. Accordingly, washing units are exempted, subject to compliance with prescribed conditions.
In view of the above chronological facts and present compliance status, it is recommended that varied Consent to Operate under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 for discharge of treated effluent @ 48 KLD into sewer and under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 may be granted for a short period under the Orange category for washing activity only, subject to retention of Bank Guarantee as an assurance against undertaking any dyeing activity and subject to upgradation of air pollution control devices to achieve revised emission standards. It is further recommended that PSPCL may be directed to temporarily restore the electricity connection, strictly subject to compliance with the above conditions.
( competency : worthy Chairperson as the directions were issued for disconnect the electric supply ) |
