The Hindu Business Line : Common effluent treatment plant unviable: Experts

THE idea mooted by a section of industrial and management experts here to have a common effluent plant in the wake of closure notices issued to 109 industrial units in the State by the State Pollution Control Board is unlikely to be an ideal proposition, according to pollution control experts.

The Board at the instance of Supreme Court Monitoring Committee had recently issued closure notice to 109 industrial units in the State for not meeting the stipulations under the Hazardous Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 1989.

The Board had asked the units to comply with the order immediately. Lapses on the part of the Government and the industry to comply with the provisions of Rules 1989 have resulted in the Board issuing closure notices, they said.

"Setting up of common effluent treatment plants is a difficult proposition for industrial units, but for commercial effluents it could be possible", they told Business Line.

According to them, the pollutants need to be treated differently and the concentration is so low at the level of ppm that it makes the treatment difficult. Most of the pollutants are either toxic heavy metals or of organic nature and in either case industrialised treatment methods are needed.

The lower concentration levels make it necessary to handle large volume of effluents. This would require new process technology, which involves huge capital expenditure, they pointed out.

The distinct features are (1) the contaminants are specific to each industry and (2) lower level of their concentration itself is harmful to the environment.

Hence, a common plant for treating different effluents from different industrial units cannot serve the purpose, they claimed.

"Moreover, due to mixing of the pollutants `certain interference and inhibition' can also take place. Because of this only the development process technology has shifted from the earlier stage to process development with effluent treatment and environment management perspective," they said. Modern chemical process is evaluated for its environment friendliness along with other technical and financial aspects, they pointed out.

The Hazardous Wastes (Management and Handling) Amendment Rules, 2003, notified in May 2003, have inserted the following also in the rule 2 after clause (c) as "(d) bio-medical wastes covered under the Bio-Medical Wastes (Management and Handling) Rules, 1998 made under the Act;

(e) wastes covered under the Municipal Solid Wastes (Management and Handling) Rules, 2000 made under the Act; and (f) the lead acid batteries covered under the Batteries (Management and Handling) Rules, 2001 made under the Act."

According to the Rules, "hazardous waste" means any waste which by reason of any of its physical, chemical, reactive, toxic, flammable, explosive or corrosive character- istics causes danger or is likely to cause danger to health or environment, whether alone or when in contact with other wastes or substances, and shall include - "hazardous wastes site" means a place for collection, reception, treatment, storage and disposal of hazardous wastes which has been duly approved by the competent authority.

The Rule says that the State Government, operator of a facility or any association of occupiers shall jointly and severally be responsible for, and identify sites for common facility for treatment, storage and disposal of hazardous wastes in the State, they added.

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