1070 polluting units discharge effluents in Ganga in UP

Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) today informed the National Green Tribunal that it has identified 1,070 seriously polluting industries from Haridwar to Kanpur which discharge 219.18 million litres per day (MLD) of effluents in river Ganga.
"It is submitted that UPPCB has identified 1,070 seriously polluting industries (SPI) in part B of phase 1 (Haridwar to Kanpur). Thus total discharge by 1070 SPI in this segment is 219.18 MLD," UPPCB told a bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar.
On the issue of municipal solid waste (MSW), the Board informed the NGT that 31 towns are located in the state from Haridwar to Kanpur on the banks of Ganga and its tributaries, out of which MSW treatment facility is available only in four towns of Kannauj, Kanpur, Moradabad and Bareilly.

"While Kannauj plant is in operation, Bareilly plant has been closed by this tribunal and plants in Moradabad and Kanpur are not in operation. However, government of UP has approved a revival package for Kanpur," the report, filed by advocate Pradeep Misra, said.
With regard to ban on plastic in the state, it said that Akhilesh Yadav government had issued notification dated December 22, 2015 "whereby manufacture import, store, sell or transport of any kind of plastic carry bags (including that of poly propylene, non woven fabric type carry bags) have been banned in entire state of UP."
Advocate Gaurav Bansal, who has filed a plea on pollution in Ganga due to dead bodies, said the report submitted by UPPCB shows the actual condition of Ganga.

"This report shows that all industrial and domestic sewage in UP is going directly into Ganga. The state government has completely failed in its duty to stop the release of waste in the holy river," Bansal said.
On March 21, the tribunal had slammed UPPCB over the quantum of sewage discharged in Ganga from various towns of the state and directed it to submit complete data on domestic and industrial waste released in the river.
The green panel had asked UPPCB to sit with Central Pollution Control Board and UP Jal Nigam and provide by tomorrow a "commonly acceptable" data on the total sewage flushed in the river on a daily basis and the sewage treatments plants.