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| HIGHLIGHTS 2000 |
| INDUSTRIAL
POLLUTION CONTROL
The implementation of the action plan for pollution control in 1551 medium and large scale units identified under 17 highly polluting industrial sectors was continued. The follow-up of the action taken against the defaulting industries under Section 5 of The E (P) Act, 1986 was further intensified and as a result the number of defaulting industries has been reduced from 147 in March, 1999 to 67 in March, 2000. The number of complying industries has increased from 1284 to 1320.
The year-wise progress made in the implementation of the programme since 1993, is presented in following Table. The year wise reduction in the number of defaulters is depicted in Fig.7.
Year-wise progress in Implementation of the Programme
Problem Areas
Twenty four problem areas have been identified in the country for pollution control through concerted efforts involving all the concerned agencies/ industries. Action plans have been prepared and being implemented in respect of all these 24 areas and presently in various stages of implementation.
The last one finalised among these is the Action Plan for Durgapur. All the 24 units located in the area of Durgapur were issued notices under Section 5 of the E (P) Act, 1986 and the action Plan was prepared on the basis of the responses of the notices. The pollution control status in each of these units has also been prepared. A compilation on "The Action Points on Problem Areas" in respect of all the 24 areas was prepared and sent to Ministry of Environment & Forests.
The Ministry of Environment & Forests (MoEF) had constituted a Committee in May, 1999 for preparation of Framework for Notification on Problem areas. First meeting of the Committee held on August 30, 1999 at MoEF. The information concerning the environmental quality has been collected in respect of 24 problem areas.
A report was sent to MoEF highlighting the problems of specific areas and for setting special authorities to oversee the implementation of various action points. Industrial Pollution Control along the River Ganga (GAP Phase-I)
The follow-up programmes in respect of the 68 industries identified under Ganga Action Plan (GAP) Phase-I were initiated by CPCB soon after the introduction of GAP in 1985. The pollution control status of these 68 industries as on March 31, 2000 is provided below. Summary status of the 68 industries identified under the Ganga Action Plan (Phase-I) (As on March 31, 2000)
The industrial pollution control programme along the River Ganga got further intensified with the launching of the Central Action Plan in August, 1997, for control of industrial discharges along the rivers and lakes in the country. This programme resulted into identification of 119 more industries along the river Ganga that requires priority attention for the control of their effluent discharges. The pollution control status of these 119 industries as on March 31, 2000 is provided below. Overall Pollution Control Progress of the Industries along the River Ganga
* M/s. B&M Chemicals Ltd., 24 Parganas (N), West Bengal Industrial Pollution Control Along the Rivers and Lakes
851 defaulting Grossly Polluting Industries located along the rivers and lakes in the country have been identified for priority actions under this programme, which was started during August 1997. The follow-ups for the implementation of the programme (including the review meetings held with the State Boards of Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu), was intensified. This has resulted in reduction in the number of defaulting industries from 514 in March, 1999 to 22 in December, 2000. The State wise status of the 851 industries as on December 31, 2000 is presented below. Summary status of pollution control in grossly polluting industries discharging their effluents into rivers and lakes (As on December 31, 2000)
* CSP: Covered under the separate plan involving shifting, relocation etc. of the units as per the orders of Hon’ble Supreme Court. Pollution Control Status in Foundries
A report on performance study of cupola and pollution control devices in foundries located at Howrah has been prepared. The report reveals that most of the foundries could not meet the standards. Adoption of divided blast in place of single blast improved the thermal efficiency of cupola to large extent but other parameters like shaft height, cupola diameter, blast volume etc. were not properly optimised in most of the foundries. As a result, level of pollution could not be minimized through in-plant pollution control. It was observed that improvement in cupola design considering most of the parameter, made the cupola most efficient as reflected from metal coke ratio (12:1). The pollution control devices fitted with cupola is not properly maintained which in turn, reduces the effectiveness of these devices. Some of them were not found very effective. During investigation, it was revealed that most of the foundries were running without putting much effort to charge the raw materials, flux, coke and air for complete combustion and energy utilisation. Pollution Control Status in Galvanizing units and Re-rolling mills
In Howrah and Kolkata the galvanizing units operate in thickly populated areas. The number of units in different clusters produces huge quantity of obnoxious fumes, without any pollution control devices, causing severe pollution in surrounding areas. CPCB has taken up a project to assess the quantity of fumes generated in these units as well as to characterize the wastewater discharged through drains. In same manner, quantification of pollution load in re-rolling mills has been carried out. Though, these units are in small scale sector but quantity of pollutants generated by these is significant. Pollution Control Status in Coal Washeries
Four coal washeries in Bihar were selected for in-depth study to ascertain the effectiveness of common coal washing processes like jig, heavy media bath, heavy media cyclone, froth floatation and hydroclone in these washeries in terms of recovery of washed coal. The products of coal washeries in the form of washed coal, middling coal and reject coal were quantified to assess the quantity of fine coal ultimately discharged with the effluent. The treatment efficiency of settling tank was evaluated to justify the claim of zero discharge. Pollution Potential of Mines
To study the pollution potential of various mines, chromite mines in Sukinda Valley, Orissa, were inspected and monitored. It was observed that huge volume of water containing chromium in hexavalent form in the range of 0.02-4.0 mg/l is discharged to adjacent water bodies. The overburden is dumped by the side of quarries and their slopes are exposed to sun, wind and rain. As a result, soluble metals are leached out and ultimately reached to the water bodies. Treatment facility available is very limited.
Coal mines in Talcher area were also inspected and monitored. Most of the mines are open-cast. Impact of mining on environment was assessed. Surface miners are being used in Kalinga open cast mine and appear to be environment friendly for primary rock excavation. Environmental Management in Thermal Power Plants of West Bengal
The State of West Bengal has 15 Thermal Power Plants (TPPs) among which the inspection has been underwater at TPPs having power generation capacity more than 100 MW. All the units are located near the banks of the rivers. These rivers serve both as a source of water supply and also the recipient of effluent from the industry. All the units inspected were coal fired using coal with an average ash content of 30-40 per cent. Almost all the plants have installed electrostatic precipitators for air pollution control, but their performance varies due to poor maintenance, faulty repair work or non-operation of some passes. Control of fugitive emission at the coal handling areas and ash-handling areas are poor. Some plants are enhancing ash pond capacities by raising dykes. Ash utilisation needs to be boosted since users are still wary of the strength of ash bricks versus clay bricks. Performance Study of Coke Oven By-product Plant
In an integrated steel industry, wastewater generated from Coke Oven By-product Plant (COBP) considered to be major polluting stream containing toxic chemicals like phenol, cyanide and ammonia. In recent times COBP effluent is treated by biochemical oxidation of cyanide, ammonia and phenol at separate effluent treatment plants, commonly known as bio-chemical oxidation & dephenolisation plants (BOD plants). The treated effluent from BOD plant is recycled for use in quenching hot coke in coke-ovens, however, excess treated water has to be discharged into common outlet drain of steel plant. Almost all the integrated iron and steel industry have installed BOD plants. Wastewater reduction in COBP involves reduction of pollution load in process wastewater and proper operation of BOD plant. A detailed study was conducted to evaluate the performance of BOD plants. The performance of BOD plant depends on proper design, inlet concentration, type of treatment units, operation and maintenance and trained manpower. The experience of the steel industry indicates that it is difficult to meet stipulated norms for cyanide and ammonia. Lead Smelting Units in and around Kolkata
Many secondary lead smelting units are operating in the country to recover and re-use lead from waste scrap. However, the process of secondary lead smelting itself generates lead bearing solid waste from which further recovery is not economical. It also generates lead-bearing emissions. Kolkata is one of the oldest and major manufacturing centres of unorganised automobile battery. Lead from lead plates in battery manufacturing units were sourced mainly from secondary lead smelting units located in various clusters in and around Kolkata. The study was aimed to ascertain the present pollution potential of these units. The overall findings of the study are:
Non-recyclable slag is the solid waste from secondary lead smelters. This waste is hazardous in nature and poses major problem at present due to non-availability of safe and notified hazardous waste disposal site. Presently, all the industries are collecting these wastes in a secure dump yard within the premises, from where the possibility of mishandling and disposing of solid waste to low lying area is very high. Prevention and Control of Pollution in Tanneries
Tanneries occupy an important place in an overall industrial scenario in Uttar Pradesh. In Kanpur and nearby city of Unnao, there are more than 400 tanneries operating on different scales of production. The tannery cluster in Jajmau at Kanpur comprises of 354 tannery units, which are engaged in chrome and vegetable tanning operations. Highly polluted wastewater (approx. 9 MLD) is generated from this cluster. Although Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) has been established for treatment of wastewater from tanneries, because of poor CETP performance there are reports of groundwater contamination in areas where the treated wastewater is utilised for irrigation is adversely affected on account of high content of chromium in the wastewater. In order to address the problem of chromium contamination following steps are identified which are in different stages of execution:
Mercury Balance in Coal based Thermal Power Plants
The presence of mercury in the environment in Singrauli coal belt of Uttar Pradesh is of concern. Therefore, CPCB took up a study to investigate the mercury balance in the area to ascertain the route of mercury emissions from various sources including several thermal power plants in the area. The study was done in three thermal power plants viz: Anpara (Renusagar), Shaktinagar and Rihandnagar. The mercury matrix studied included ambient air quality, stack emissions, bottom-ash and coal feed-stock. The findings of the study are outlined below:
CETP Tarapur, Maharastra
The industrial area of Tarapur, Maharastra, has been identified among the 24 problem areas in the country by CPCB. One of the major action point in the time-targetted action plan was augmentation of existing CETP to accommodate all the small scale units. The Tarapur Industries Association has completed the task and enhanced the capacity of CETP, which is approx. 1000 m3/day. The average effluent receiving from 207 member industries is approx. 1005 m3/day. The treated effluent is finally disposed into the sea through closed pipeline. The analysis study reveals that CETP is not working efficiently to treat the effluent at desired level. The major parameters like BOD, COD, chloride, TKN and nitrate were found to be very high against the prescribed standards. This is mainly due to the non-compliance of inlet norms of CETP by the individual units. Pollution Potential in Petro-chemical Industries
To assess the pollution potential of petro-chemical industries, M/s IPCL, Nagothane and M/s Reliance Petrochemical Industries, Hazira were taken up during the year. IPCL, Nagothane is using lean gas at cracker unit for the production of various petrochemical products, emitting negligible emissions of SO2 and other air pollutants. However, handling of solid waste by IPCL was observed inadequate, as no proper place for solid waste disposal has been developed.
There was no significant problem in the effluent treatment plant provided by Reliance Petrochemicals, Hazira, but air pollution control devices were not working satisfactorily. Benzene vapour to the extent of 100 ppm has been observed in emissions from the stack attached with benzene recovery system. Further, significant amount of hydrocarbon was measured at various stacks attached with the process. Guidelines for Control of Pollution from Distilleries The salient features of the guidelines as reviewed by CPCB are as follows: A. Methods of Treatment The distilleries may adopt any or combination of the following measures:
B. Operation and Maintenance of ETPs
C. Discharge of Effluent
Project on Distillery Unit Compost
A project on distillery units compost was initiated and seven distillery units were inspected to collect the information. The study reveals that bio-methanation reduces the BOD and COD load by about 60% and 90% respectively and use of generated methane gas reduces the consumption of fuel by 65%. Thus, disposal of "spent wash" from distillery by making the "compost" is one of the most viable options. The ground water analysis results show that manufacturing and application of compost does not cause any significant ground water pollution as on date. On the other hand, the yield of sugar cane and quality of sugar is reported to have increased by 8-10% due to the use of compost made out of spent wash and press mud. Also, the study reveals that COD concentration of spent wash is also influenced by the temperature maintained in the distillation column. However, a thorough study is required to examine the long-term impact of distillery unit compost application on soils. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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