Zira Liquor Factory: 2 audits since July did not find any evidence of environmental degradation

Fresh samples of water, soil, livestock and crop were taken by teams formed by the state government early this month from around the distillery and laboratory to determine pollution but reports have not been made public yet. Officials said they are yet to receive reports of the recent samples taken by the experts

Even though chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday afternoon announced the closure of the Malbros International Private Limited, an alcohol-making unit in Mansurwal village of Zira in Ferozepur, over allegations of pollution, two audits conducted since July last year did not find evidence of environmental degradation by the distillery.

A team formed by the state government collecting water samples from the Zira Liquor Factory. (HT photo)

Fresh samples of water, soil, livestock and crop were taken by teams formed by the state government early this month from around the distillery and laboratory to determine pollution but reports have not been made public yet. Officials said they are yet to receive reports of the recent samples taken by the experts.

Following a complaint filed on July 18, 2022, about the alleged groundwater contamination by the factory at Mahian Wala Kalan, Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) took tubewell water samples from 11 sites, including three from the premises of the distillery.

In a report submitted before the NGT, the board stated that ‘there is no indication of discharge of wastewater (in all 11 samples) by the industry in the underground water’ and ‘that there is no chemical pollution in the groundwater.’

The state monitoring committee of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) led by its chairperson justice Jasbir Singh (retd) visited the protest site on August 18, 2022, and samples were taken from seven sites, including the factory compound.

Water samples were sent to three reputed laboratories in Patiala, SAS Nagar and New Delhi. The report says ‘analysis results of groundwater samples analysed by all the three laboratories, indicate that groundwater contamination is probably due to faecal matter, which may be due to domestic sources. Possibility of discharge of industrial effluent in underground water is feeble as no such assessment from the analysis results has been found.’

Chief agriculture officer, Ferozepur, also mentioned in his report dated September 14, 2022, that the quality of soil and yield of crops in the adjoining area of the industry was not being affected due to any discharge from the industry.