Buddha Nullah rejuvenation: Activists seek sampling and audit of CETPs

Ludhiana: The issue of pollution created by dairy units and toxic industrial units was taken up the members of public action committee (PAC) on Wednesday in a meeting that was held to discuss the Buddha Dariya rejuvenation project at sewage treatment plant, Tajpur Road, on Wednesday. Punjab assembly speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan had come to review the project and various NGO members were present in the meeting. The NGO members and activists rued that Rs 650 crore project would be of no use, if the issue of the dairy units and polluting industrial units was not resolved.
Activists Jaskirat Singh and Kapil Arora said, “The common effluent treatment plants for dyeing units are made operational, but the results were not being made public.” They demanded that three accredited laboratories should be given authority to do sampling at common effluent treatment plants (CETPs) on regular basis and entire details about the project should be made available at department websites.
One of the activists and member of Buddha Dariya Task force Col Jasjit Singh Gill (Retd.) raised the issue of rain water getting mixed with sewerage water and its merger in the Buddha Dariya. He suggested that source of heavy metals coming into Buddha Dariya should be located and audit of treated water of electroplating industry should be done. The encroachments around Buddha Dariya should be removed within or outside MC limits so that forest and wet land could be developed there for rejuvenation of Buddha Dariya as one has been developed near Gaunspur bridge where 7,000 plants have already been planted in 18 acres.
MC commissioner Shena Aggarwal said, “We are going ahead with effluent treatment plants for dairy units at Tajpur Road and Haibowal dairy complex and one bio gas plant is coming up at Tajpur Road while another one is in the offing at Haibowal dairy complex to enhance the capacity of existing one.” She added that scattered dairy units within MC limits were being shifted to the complexes.
Meanwhile blame game continued between the MC and Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB). The activists accused MC officials for not taking appropriate action against erring units. While, PPCB officials raised questions about 16 direct outlets of domestic sewer system of MC and also claimed that the MC officials did not install STPs of actual discharge as dairy waste was more than 10 MLD but they estimated it to be 6 MLD.
Use treated water for construction purpose
Dr Gill while giving the suggestions said, "The treated water coming from STP should not go to Buddha Dariya rather it should be transported to areas for the construction work. The ground water is not allowed to be used for the construction works, but still people use the same because MC has no other option.
CETP chairman offers to drink treated water
After visiting the STP, speaker Sandhwan also visited the CETP on Tajpur Road dyeing units where CETP head and chairman of Punjab Dyers Association Ashok Makkar showed samples of treated and untreated water. He claimed that there was no problem with this CETP and when activists raised questions over the working of CETP, Makkar even offered to drink the treated water, but Sandhwan stopped him from doing so.
During meeting at Gaunspur, the PAC members said despite filing complaint against officials of PPCB and other industries for dumping untreated waste, FIR has not been registered till date. The copy of the same was given to Sandhwan and the city police commissoner. Sandhwan asked CP Ludhiana to take action as per law without any pressure. They also thanked the speaker for helping them in getting Matteware project cancelled.
As the Mattewara textile park was cancelled, the villagers met the Speaker on Wednesday and handed over a letter to him demanding their land back. They claimed when project has been cancelled then their land should be returned to them.