Though it took many years and some serious reprimands by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), it is only now that the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) has woken up to the fact that the Bharuch region of Gujarat has one of the highest levels of air and water pollution in the country.

All this is because of the Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) in the region — that caters to Panoli, Jhagadia and Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation's (GIDC) industrial township at Ankleshwar — and operates far beyond its capacity of 40 million litres per day (MLDs).

Things came to light only in 2006, when the CPCB, during its routine inspection, discovered that the CETP and the system for marine disposal of treated effluents had been operating far beyond its capacity. CETP's performance sheet also stands testimony to gross non-compliance of norms prescribed by GPCB and the resultant danger to the aquatic ecosystem. (Discharge from the CETP is emptied into the sea with the help of a 54-km long pipeline.)

Taking cognisance of the matter, for the last one year, GPCB has stopped issuing licenses to set up new industrial units in Bharuch region. While speaking to Newsline, V R Gadge, Regional Officer, GPCB Bharuch region, said, “The first step that we took was place a ban on any new industrial set-ups in the region. As per the recommendations of the CPCB, we are also in the process of increasing the capacity of this CETP to 60 MLDs from the existing 40 MLDs; work on which will be completed by December this year."

Gadge further said, "In addition to this, the GPCB has approved a proposal to set up a separate CETP for the Jhagadia industrial state, which will have a capacity of 60 MLDs. The tendering process for this has already been started. And once it is commissioned, the existing CETP in Bharuch will treat effluents from only Ankleshwar and Panoli industrial states."

Since the Bharuch CETP also treats about 10 MLDs of domestic sewage from the GIDC industrial township, GIDC is also in the process of setting up a separate Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) with a design capacity of 22 MLDs to treat domestic sewage. After treatment at the STP, the discharge will be routed through Amla Khadi, a major carrier drain of the region, to Narmada river.