HYDERABAD: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has found that 23 cotton seeds and ginning mills have been violating pollution norms, causing damage to soil and water bodies in Jogulamba-Gadwal district. The tribunal passed an order, against those industrial units imposing penalties to the tune of Rs 1.52 crore as environmental compensation. However, Rs 25 lakh compensation has been paid till date.
According to complainant P Madhusudhan Reddy, who approached the court in 2019, these industries used heavy metals like sulphuric acid and sodium which were released untreated into water bodies and soil. After the complaint was made in 2019, the NGT formed a Joint Inspection Committee to look into the matter.
One of the first and foremost factors that emerged during the inspection was that none of these factories processed their effluent discharge as they were mandated to carry all of their waste water all the way to Jeedimetla, 300 km away at Rangareddy TSDF for treatment. However, due to the distance and lack of check mechanism, these units conveniently violated the norms for more than five years and let the toxic water into the soil.
The defaulting industries proposed to Telangana State Pollution Control Board (TSPCB) to build their own Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP). In the report, the committee also mentions the findings of Indian Institute of Soil Science, Bhopal on the soil in general in Gadwal compared with the area in question and found clear evidence of soil pollution. “The soil in Jogulamba-Gadwal district is calcium rich or abundant in lime. Due to the untreated acidic effluent, it got polluted rapidly,” the report said.
In February this year, the court passed its final directions, asking all recommendations of the committee to be followed by the erring industries and enforced by TSPCB. It also directed that the remaining Rs 1.52 crore environmental compensation to be collected at the earliest.
Tribunal imposes Rs 1.5-crore environmental costs
In February this year, the court passed its final directions, asking all recommendations of the committee to be followed by the erring industries and enforced by TSPCB. It also directed that the remaining Rs 1.52-crore environmental compensation to be collected at the earliest