Foreword
Khandsari sugar may be termed as "Cottage Sugar", which is obtained in un- refinej cry3talline form from sm111 scale sugar industries known as Khandsari units. There are about 7 ,500 Khandsari units in the country. Interestingly majority of the units are located in Muzaffarnagar and Meerut Districts of Ut tar Pradesh, and Nizamabad and Medak Districts of Andhra Pradesh. Besides, there are some 60 units in Maharashtra. The sugar cane crushing capacities of these units range between 20 tonnes to 250 tonnes per day. Although the Central Board for the Prevention and Control of Water Pollution was aware that the pollutional problem from Khandsari units might not be significant at this stage, even then the Board considered that it was necessary to know the problem and the present treatise is the result of that exercise.

Recognizing the fact that Khandsari sugar is one of the significant agricultural pro- duct of Small Scale IndJstry in India the Central Board for the Prevention and Control of Water Pollution hired the services of M/s. Kirloskar Consultants Ltd., Pune, to investigate the associated pollutional problems in Khandsari units and to recommend the measures required for containing pollution. if there is any.

Dr. K.R. Khan. Scientist. Central Board for the Prevention and Control of Water Pollution co-ordinated this work on behalf of the Central Board.