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| 407 industrial units running without renewal consent of PCB | | Water, Air testing laboratories not upgraded | | Arun Singh
Jammu, Mar 5: Disregarding the increasing pollution level in the state as many as 407 industrial units are running without mandatory renewal consent in violation of Prevention and Control of Pollution Act in the state for the past ten years. Moreover, the Board had failed to upgrade its existing Water and Air laboratories. As per the report of Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), no register which was required under the provisions of pollution control Acts to watch the fulfillment of consent conditions, had been maintained either in the Regional offices or by the Member Secretary of the Board to keep a watch on the fulfillment of the conditions or violations in this regard. As per provisions of the Water (Protection and Control of Pollution) Act 1974, no person shall without the previous consent of the Board establish any industry."The consent of the Board is valid for such period as specified in the order. Test check of records however, showed that 407 units in respect of which the validity of the consent to operate had expired between March 2001 and February 2013 were running without renewal in violation of the provisions of the Act, (June 2013)," CAG reported.As per provisions Pollution Control Acts the Board was required to take samples of water from any system or well or samples of any sewage or trade effluent passing from any plant. The Board has established one Air testing Laboratory and one Water testing laboratory each in Regional office Jammu and Kashmir divisions."No laboratories were established in other districts of the State. It was seen that the laboratories had not been recognized under Environment (Protection) Act due to lack of proper equipment, required manpower and trained staff," it maintained.In further revelation, CAGC said that in Jammu division, out of 33 parameters required as per general standards for testing of environmental pollutants only about 10 parameters were being tested therein. Similarly, in respect of air pollution testing, in Kashmir division no samples were collected from chimney, flue or dust and only two parameters of Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM) and Restpiratory Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM) were tested therein. No gaseous sampling (Sox and NOx14) analysis was done due to non-availability of required facilities in the laboratories. CAG further noticed that the annual physical targets which were fixed in 2008-09 for taking samples were reduced from the year 2010-11. A total of 385 samples of drinking water tested in the whole State during the period 2010-13. Similarly 1609 samples of effluents and 317 samples of industrial emission were tested during three years in the State which are prima facie not commensurate with number of sources/ storages of drinking water and industrial/ commercial establishments contributing to air/water pollution. |
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