Team Herald

PANJIM: Around 209 industrial units operating in the State are involved in discharging trade effluents causing serious environment pollution, the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) said in its submission before the National Green Tribunal (NGT). 

NGT has, however, imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on the Goa government payable to the Union Ministry for Environment and Forest (MoEF) for failing to submit the detailed compliance report. 

In a reply submitted to the Tribunal in a Writ Petition filed by Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti against Union of India and others, GSPCB said that 209 industrial units are discharging trade effluents or causing emissions in the State while there are 583 industrial/hotels/residential complex/units that have their own STPs. A total of 191 industrial units have their own effluent treatment plants (ETPs). 

Following the tribunal directions, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) had, on July 20, directed the Board to file a status-cum-compliance report about the industrial units that are functioning without ETP.

In his submission GSPCB Member Secretary Levinson Martins said there exist 6896 industrial units of which 209 discharge trade effluents and are required to posses their own ETPs, while 583 units are required to have their own sewage treatment plants (STPs). 

He said that the Board has commenced an exercise in order to verify the efficient functioning of the ETPs and STPs in respect of the units as well as to identify those units operating without the Consent to Operate of the Board as required under the Water Act and Air Act. 

“The Board has commenced conducting site inspections at the 22 industrial estates that exist in the State, in order to complete the exercise of verification. There exist a total of 1702 units in the 22 industrial estates and all have been inspected by the Board,” Martins said.

The Board stated that Goa does not have a Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) but has four Common Sewage Treatment Plants (CSTPs). 

“Out of these 4 CSTPs, the STP at Tonca, Panjim is operating effectively and meets the standards prescribed, whereas the second STP at Patto, Panjim is presently under upgradation,” Martins said. 

“The plants established at Vasco and Margao are not operating effectively to meet the prescribed standards,” he added. He further said that the new plants at Margao and Vasco will be made operational by December 2017. 

The Board has sought another three months to file a detailed report, which has been refused by NGT.