Sabarmati River Pollution Persists Despite High Court Intervention: Multi-Crore Plant Under Scrutiny
The Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad is being polluted, prompting a stern response from the Gujarat High Court. Municipal corporations and the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) are being instructed to prevent the pollution of the Sabarmati River. In the Baherampura area of the city, the Ahmedabad Hand Screen Printing Association and the Municipal Corporation have spent millions to build a 30 MLD CETP treatment plant to tackle the discharge of pollutants like oil into the river. Notices have been issued to the Ahmedabad Hand Screen Printing Association and the plant operator by the Municipal Corporation.
Pollution being discharged from treatment plants
Deputy Municipal Commissioner Mihir Patel, in conversation with Divya Bhaskar, stated that pollution discharged from the 30 MLD treatment plant in Baherampura needs immediate attention. Notices have been issued to the Ahmedabad Hand Screen Printing Association and the plant operator by the Municipal Corporation. Attempts to contact Yasinbhai Palivala, head of the Ahmedabad Hand Screen Printing Association, were unsuccessful.
Plant inauguration six months ago
According to sources within the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, the hand screen printing factories in the former area of Baherampura and Danilimda were shut down due to the pollution of the Sabarmati River. The ruling party in the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, the BJP, initiated these shutdowns to collaborate with the Ahmedabad Hand Screen Printing Association and invested millions to establish a 30 MLD CETP plant, which was inaugurated six months ago. However, due to increasing discharge of polluted water from the factories, the machinery of the treatment plant has malfunctioned.
Dirty water being released from the plant
The factories of the hand screen printing industry, which were adhering to regulations and discharging water within permissible limits, are now discharging more polluted water due to increased production, causing the machinery of the treatment plant to malfunction. The outlet of the 30 MLD CETP treatment plant in Baherampura flows directly into the 180 MLD treatment plant of the Municipal Corporation. Officials investigated the discharge of polluted water into clean water. Notices have been issued to the plant operator L&T and the Ahmedabad Hand Screen Printing Association.
Increase in discharge of polluted water
When the CETP plant was established, it was designed to treat water according to its capacity. However, it is now failing to function according to its capacity due to increased discharge of polluted water. Instead of treating 30 MLD, the plant is now treating 40 to 42 MLD of polluted water, which is highly contaminated and directly flowing into the Sabarmati River. Municipal Corporation officials have issued notices and have also informed the GPCB. If no appropriate action is taken in the coming days, the Municipal Corporation is prepared to issue closure notices, as demonstrated by the system.
