All water polluting industries in Nagaland have treatment plant: NPCB

February 14, 2024 15 Views No Comment

Morung Express News
Dimapur | February 14

The State currently hosts 1259 industries, with 17 falling under the category of water-polluting industries, according to information provided by the Nagaland Pollution Control Board (NPCB) in a submission to the National Green Tribunal (NGT).

Furthermore, all 17 industries identified as water-polluting have installed Effluent Treatment Plants (ETPs), stated the affidavit submitted by the NPCB to the NGT Principal Bench in New Delhi on December 12 last year, and was made publicly available on the NGT’s website in January 2024.

The submission is related to a Sou Motu case initiated by the NGT based on a news item published in ‘The Hindu’ on September 17, 2018, under the headline “More river stretches are now critically polluted: CPCB.”

In its order on September 20, 2018, the Tribunal observed that Nagaland has six polluted rivers categorized as Dhansiri (Priority I), Chathe (Priority IV), Dzuna (III), Dzu (IV), Dzucha (V), Dzu, and Sano (V).

In one of its directives, the Tribunal instructed all States and Union Territories to establish a River Rejuvenation Committee (RRC) to formulate and submit action plans within two months. The goal is to make all polluted river stretches suitable for bathing within six months from the finalization of the action plans.

In compliance, the NPCB reported that Nagaland established the RRC on September 20, 2018.

In the 17th meeting of the Central Monitoring Committee held on September 12, 2023, it was revealed that only four river stretches are currently polluted, with two removed from the priority list, indicating improvement.

Regarding the Dhansiri River, the NPCB submitted that the State’s action plan for rejuvenation, approved by the CPCB in 2019, identified sewage drainage from Dimapur City, improper solid waste disposal into drains, and industrial effluents as the main sources of pollution.

However, a sewage treatment plant, part of the action plan with a capacity of 25.43 MLD, became fully functional on January 14, 2023.

In addition to industries, five hospitals, including both private and government hospitals, have also installed ETPs to prevent effluents from entering the Dhansiri River, it added.