Free pass for dyeing units polluting Buddha Nullah as Ludhiana MC yet to act

The PPCB had conducted a hearing with the dyeing units two months ago, ordering them to cease discharging water into the sewerage pipes

Even two months after Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) identified and forwarded the list of approximately 40 scattered dyeing units directly discharging water into sewerage lines, the municipal corporation (MC) has failed to take any action against the violators.

According to PPCB officials, notices were issued to these factories for violating Section 33-4 of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act. (Gurpreet Singh/HT)

The PPCB had conducted a hearing with the dyeing units two months ago, ordering them to cease discharging water into the sewerage pipes.

It came in the backdrop of complaints from sewerage treatment plant (STP) employees, who reported coloured water being received at the plant — which in turn polluted the Buddha Nullah.

According to PPCB officials, notices were issued to these factories for violating Section 33-4 of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act.

They also provided a list of dyeing units responsible for water discharge into sewerage pipes, with 12 of them being large units releasing substantial quantities of water, to the civic body.

The list, accessed by HT, featured names of multiple big industries with global footprints.

“We had conducted hearings with the scattered factory owners and gave them an ultimatum to halt water discharge. Some have relocated, and others have adopted zero liquid discharge (ZLD) methods. We have provided the list to the MC to disconnect sewerage connections for these dyeing units,” PPCB chief engineer Pardeep Gupta said.

Questions, meanwhile, have been by environmentalists the perceived inaction, with, Kuldeep Singh Khaira, a city-based activist saying, “While the MC claims that their STP plant is suffering operational issues due to the coloured water from these dyeing units, they are delaying the shutdown of sewerage connections for units discharging water directly into the pipes.”

Environmentalists have also spoken about the possibility of political pressure in the past given that dyeing units continue to pollute the Buddha Nullah despite substantial investments in the rejuvenation project.

Several city residents of Tajpur road, Chandigarh road and other areas have also highlighted the “coloured” water mixing into the sewerage water that overflowed in their areas due to the blocked sewerage.

Addressing the issue, municipal commissioner Sandeep Rishi said, “We have received reports from PPCB and have issued notices to 33 scattered dyeing units. The sewerage connections for these units will be dismantled soon. I have already instructed the relevant officials to take swift action.”