After reviewing the condition of drain 1 and 2 in Panipat and drain-6 in Sonepat which leads to Yamuna river, Vinay Pratap Singh, Chairman, Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB), directed the officials to ensure strict compliance with effluent discharge norms and to carry out surprise inspections and to take stringent action against the violators.
As part of ongoing efforts under Yamuna Action Plan (YAP) to rejuvenate and restore the river Yamuna, Singh visited district Panipat and Sonepat on Wednesday to review the implementation of the said action plan and functioning of pollution control infrastructure provided by the different authorities.
During the visit, the chairman reviewed various projects being undertaken under the YAP which includes installation, upgradation of STPs by PHED and HSVP Departments and development work of CETP at Sector 29 undertaken by the HSIIDC Department.
The chairman held a field visit of drain number 1, 2 and 6 along with officials from the different departments of Municipal Corporation (MC), Public Health Engineering Department (PHED), Irrigation Department, HSIIDC, HSVP and Panchayati Raj.
He reviewed the pollution level and also checked the point where the Bakner drain coming from Delhi side carries a heavy pollution load and merges into drain 6.
The chairman emphasised that timely completion and effective operation of STPs and CETPs are critical for preventing untreated sewage and industrial effluent from entering into the Yamuna.
He directed the concerned departments to ensure 100 per cent collection and treatment of the sewage and to remove the bottlenecks in the project execution and take up the matter with higher authorities within two days.
The chairman stressed on the regular monitoring of the drains, timely de-silting and maintenance to maximise their carrying capacity.
“It was my first visit to Panipat and Sonepat after taking over the charge of the HSPCB. I chose to visit these two industrial cities adjoining the national capital as they are facing challenges of air and water pollution,” said Vinay Pratap Singh, Chairman, HSPCB.
Along with stakeholder departments like MC, PHED, Irrigation and HSIIDC, all major drains and sub-drains passing through Panipat and Sonepat were inspected to examine pollution load.
Regional Officers of HSPCB have been tasked to share monthly data of drains with respect to BOD, COD, TSS etc with concerned departments for taking punitive action on sources of pollution, the chairman added.
The main focus of the HSPCB would be on ensuring strict compliance of directions regarding installation of Air Pollution Control Devices (APCDs) and Online Continuous Emission Monitoring Systems (OCEMS) in industrial units across NCR and other districts, Singh asserted.
The message was clear that the polluting industrial units will face closure if OCEMS and APCD were not installed immediately, the chairman maintained.
