Sending out a strong message, the Environment Ministry has ordered the closure of 150 industrial units, including sugar mills and tanneries, along the Ganga after these failed to install 24x7 effluent monitoring systems.
Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) had formulated an action plan for abatement of industrial pollution in the Ganga to reduce effluent generation and organic load, and claimed that there has been a “significant” reduction in industrial pollution in the river.
“There has been substantial progress in the installation of 24x7 Online Continuous Effluent Monitoring Systems (OCEMS). Out of 764 Gross Polluting Industries (GPI), 514 units have already installed OCEMS, while 94 are in the process. The closure orders have been issued to 150 remaining units and responses of other six units are under examination,” Javadekar said.
He said even after persuading these industries for a year, they did not respond resulting in closure orders. “This is the biggest action taken till date on the issue of abatement of pollution in Ganga or any river in the country," he said.