Order of the National Green Tribunal regarding discharge of industrial waste into rivers Sirsa and Satluj, Himachal Pradesh, 04/01/2021
Order of the National Green Tribunal in the matter of Veterans forum for Transparency in Public Life Vs State of Himachal Pradesh & Others dated 04/01/2021.
The matter related to remedial action against discharge of waste from CETP at Baddi and from Acme Life Sciences, Nalagarh and Helio Pharmaceuticals at Solan, to prevent pollution of rivers Sirsa and Satluj. According to the applicant, the CETP is not connected to pharmaceutical units at Barotiwala and Nalagarh who are discharging their effluents directly into the rivers.
The Himachal Pradesh State Pollution Control Board (HPPCB) in its report to the NGT, December 30, 2020 stated that a Joint Committee inspected the area and observed that the CETP was not equipped to completely treat category IV effluent (High TDS/FDS Stream). Despite the fact that CETP does not have the capacity to treat this type of effluent, CETP had entered into the tripartite agreement with the industries generating Category IV effluent and receiving this category of effluent since 2016.
The analysis of the samples collected by the Joint Committee was analysed by the HPPCB has shown that CETP was discharging effluent into the Sirsa river without complying with the prescribed norms. The samples from CETP, upstream and downstream of Sirsa river and the pharma units under question (M/s Acme Life Sciences and M/s Helios Pharmaceuticals), were collected by the joint committee on December 9, for analysis of residual antibiotic residues and the report is awaited.
The bench of Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel and Justice Sheo Kumar Singh of the NGT directed that a further action taken report must be filed by the HPPCB before May 12, 2021.