NEW DELHI: The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) has imposed a cumulative fine of over Rs 12 crore on 12 common effluent treatment plants (CETPs) operating in the national capital for not meeting the prescribed waste water discharge standards.
The 12 CETPs are located in industrial areas of Jhilmil, Badli, Wazirpur, Mayapuri, Mangolpuri, Nangloi, Okhla, Narela, Bawana, Naraina, GTK Road and Keshav Puram. There are 24 industrial areas in the city, of which 17 are connected to 13 CETPs, which treat the wastewater from industrial units before it can be reused or discharged into the Yamuna.
Untreated wastewater and poor quality of effluent discharged from CETPs and sewage treatment plants are the major reasons behind the pollution of Yamuna in Delhi, according to experts. The action was taken after it was found that the CETPs did not comply with the requisite standards with respect to biological oxygen (30 mg/litre), total dissolved solid (2,100 mg/l), sulphate (1,000 mg/l), Sulphide (2 mg/l), etc.
The DPCC had issued several notices to the CETPs asking them to take measures to meet the prescribed effluent discharge standards. The DPCC said the 12 CETPs failed to meet the requirements repetitively between February 2019 and 2021.
The CETP societies in these industrial areas were asked on Wednesday to deposit the environmental compensation totalling `12.05 crore to and inform about the rectification measures to the DPCC within 15 days. The 13 CETPs in Delhi have a total capacity of treating 212.3 million litres of effluent a day.
As per the Delhi CETP Act, 2000, the commissioner of industries is the authority for regulation of CETPs in the national capital. The CEPT societies are fully responsible for the operation and maintenance of CEPT’s in Delhi. They are required to adhere to the environmental laws and run as per the prescribed environmental laws.