Plan to revive shut factories in Loni sent to Ganga panel

Officials said that a plant with a capacity of four million litres per day (MLD) was shut down in 2017 and that a new unit with a capacity of 6 MLD was started in 2019

Weeks after the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) shut down 450 industrial units and a common effluent treatment plant (CETP) in Loni for not following rules when releasing waste into the Hindon river, the Uttar Pradesh State Industrial Development Authority (UPSIDA) sent NMCG an action plan in mid-March that will allow the units and CETP to reopen.

The Hindon River flows from Saharanpur to the Yamuna River near Momnathal in Greater Noida. In Ghaziabad, it is 55km long and covers an area of 60,766 hectares. (HT Archive)

The plan will also allow a plant closed in 2017 to start working again, said officials aware of the matter.

“The plan has been submitted to the Ganga panel and is expected to be approved soon. There are approximately 55 dyeing units among the 450 units in Loni’s Tronica City industrial area. Once the plan is approved, the plants and units will resume operations,” said Raghunandan Yadav, UPSIDA’s deputy general manager (civil).

Officials said that a plant with a capacity of four million litres per day (MLD) was shut down in 2017 and that a new unit with a capacity of 6 MLD was started in 2019. The water from Tronica City goes to the latter plant and then to the Jawli escape. From there, it goes to the Hindon River. According to officials, the Tronica City industrial area units discharge approximately 4 MLD.

“Teams from the Ganga panel did a site inspection in Tronica City and found that industrial units were not following rules when they released effluent. There were times when sewage that hadn’t been treated went into drains and then to the Jawli escape before it got into the river and polluted it. Because of how things were, the Ganga panel closed the 6 MLD plant on February 28. As a result, the industrial units were also shut down. It asked us to give them a plan of action by March, and we did,” Yadav added.

He said they had sent in different suggestions from the industrial units, which will also pay for running the plants (based on the polluter pays principle).

However, officials expressed reservations about sharing details of the action plan.

“UPSIDA has submitted the plan to the Ganga panel. After it approves the plan, officials from the Central Pollution Control Board, the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB), and the panel will conduct a joint survey. The industries authority has also recommended that the inlet of the plants be increased to accommodate more industrial effluent,” said Utsav Sharma, regional officer of the pollution control board.

Aside from the situation in Tronica City, similar problems exist in other parts of the city and have turned the river into a huge drain.

The Hindon River flows from Saharanpur to the Yamuna River near Momnathal in Greater Noida. In Ghaziabad, it is 55km long and covers an area of 60,766 hectares.

Ghaziabad’s administration recently made a plan to revitalise the Hindon River. According to data, eight untapped drains and one partly tapped one empty into the river. Of these, five carry both industrial and residential waste, three only domestic waste, and one only industrial waste. Before they reach the river, they pass through Arthala, Karhera, Dasna, Meerut Road, Sahibabad, Jawli, Indirapuram, Pratap Vihar, and Hindon Vihar.

According to officials, the river receives approximately 351.04 MLD of discharge, 336 MLD of which is sewage.

“The river’s condition has deteriorated over the last two decades. Previously, it carried clean and clear water, but now it only carries effluent and water from the Upper Ganga Canal. People who polluted the river must pay for their actions. Although plans have been prepared, many have not been carried out,” said Akash Vashishtha, a city-based environmentalist.

The pollution control board classifies the Hindon River as category E, the lowest category of rivers in the state. River water in this category is only suitable for irrigation, industrial cooling, and controlled waste disposal.