CAQM finds pollution violations at 17 of 35 industrial units in Nuh

Violations included unapproved DG sets and fuels, uncovered conveyor belts, unpaved roads and missing Online Continuous Emission Monitoring Systems.

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), along with Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) and the state administration, inspected 35 industrial units in Nuh under a “special” drive and found 17 in non-compliance with pollution control norms, the Union Ministry of Environment and Climate Change said in a statement released on social media on Saturday.

The inspections were conducted on Thursday by eight flying squad teams as part of CAQM’s “Operation Clean Air” in the national capital region (NCR). Violations included fugitive dust emissions, unapproved diesel generator (DG) sets and fuels, and missing air emission monitoring systems mandated under consent-to-operate (CTO) conditions.

Ten units were fully compliant with CTO permissions, while one was partially compliant and seven were non-operational during the inspections.

The statement said inspectors found defective wet scrubbers, non-functional or poorly maintained Electrostatic Precipitators (ESP), inadequate stack or chimney arrangements and insufficient stack height for boilers or thermic fluid heaters.

Several units also lacked adequate fugitive dust controls. “Several units had uncovered conveyor belts, no water sprinkling and dust suppression arrangements undertaken at the sites, including insufficient boundary windbreakers and unpaved internal roads, leading to dust adversely affecting the localised ambient air quality,” a senior HSPCB official said, requesting anonymity.

Other violations included outdated DG sets, use of wood and unapproved fuel, missing pollution monitoring devices such as the Online Continuous Emission Monitoring System (OCEMS), and boilers or thermic fluid heaters operating without applicable CTO coverage. Dense smoke and fumes were also observed.

HSPCB officials said notices are being issued to violating units based on the inspection reports.