Report on Panipat Cooperative Sugar Mills, Panipat, Haryana
Joint inspection of M/s Panipat Cooperative Sugar Mills Limited, at Gohana Road, Panipat on February 12, 2020 in compliance to direction issued by National Green Tribunal in OA No. 911/2019 in the matter of Pramod Devi, Councilor & Others Vs State of Haryana.
The matter relates to pollution by the industry including nuisance of smell and breathing issues due to floating flyash/bagasse particles.
A joint team from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the Haryana State Pollution Control Board visited the premises of the unit, interacted with the complainants and the nearby residents and school representatives and also inspected the sugar and distillery units. During inspection, it was found that the unit had not provided proper seepage proof holding lagoon of 15 days holding capacity to store treated effluent as per norms. The treated effluent from the ETP was taken into a small collection pit which was found overflowing back in equalization tank. The unit had not yet prepared a comprehensive irrigation management plant for utilizing the treated effluent in irrigation as per notified treated irrigation protocol for sugar industries.
The analysis results indicate that the treated effluent from the ETP was compliant with the discharge norms, however, the reported reduction in BOD, COD and TSS parameters with the existing ETP of the unit, without tertiary treatment system, seems unrealistic and require further detailed assessment. The physical appearance of the ETP, including unavailability of separate unit for oil and grease removal, ineffective equalisation tank without mixing mechanism, broken outlet weir of primary settling tank, floating oil, absence of chemical prepration/solution tanks, ineffective sludge management also does not support this performance.
Note: Report uploaded to the NGT site on June 29, 2020