CHENNAI: More than 20 of the 34 Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs) in Tamil Nadu are operating without consent as their appeal for renewal is pending with state pollution control board, according to a report submitted by Central Pollution Control Board.
This comes after CPCB conducted an inspection of the 34 CETPs located in Tamil Nadu in the month of April 2019 after the direction from National Green Tribunal to compile a monitoring report on the 97 CETPs installed in different states and status of their efficient functioning.
The report also said that of the 34 CETPs, the effluent treatment plants of Pallavaram Tanners Industrial Effluent Treatment Company, which caters to 128 tannery units, and Ayyampet, Muthiyalpet Bleaching and dyeing Effluent Treatment Company on North Street in Ayyampet, which caters to 59 textile units, is not complying with the prescribed discharge limits as prescribed by CPCB.
The report stated that the CETP in Ranipet operated by SIPCOT and SIDCO Entrepreneurs Co Ltd, which caters to 20 tannery units, is operating without the consent of TNPCB after its license expired on March 31, 2015. “The unit applied for renewal since 2015 and fee is being paid every year but the consent has not been renewed by TNPCB till date,” says the CPCB report.
The report has also stated that inlet norms to CETP has not been prescribed by the State Pollution Control Board in most of the cases and has given the SPCB a month to ensure the CETP standards are met.
This comes as CETP are mandated to have proper inlet and outlet flow measurement mechanism with the parameters mandated as per CPCB. However, for the state CETPs they should adhere to norms prescribed by TNPCB.
The report also states that in many places like Madurai Electroplating Industrial Park and Perundurai Leather Ind. Eco Security Pvt Ltd in Perundurai, the Online Continous Effluent Monitoring System (OCEMS) is not installed.
CPCB has asked TNPCB to direct non-complying CETPs to take immediate corrective measures to comply with environmental standards. It has also asked the SPCB to take action and levy environmental cess or compensation against the erring CETPs.
It has given 15 days deadline for the state pollution control board to ensure CETPs comply with the norms. TNPCB officials could not be reached.