Notice to polluting units

LUDHIANA, Nov 25: Industries discharging untreated effluent will be issued notices within three months to shut down and no sanction will be ...

LUDHIANA, Nov 25: Industries discharging untreated effluent will be issued notices within three months to shut down and no sanction will be granted to new industries that would pollute ground water in the city.

These steps had become necessary because 17 per cent of the total waste in Punjab is generated by 104 of the 1,311 industries in Ludhiana. This has polluted the ground water even up to a depth of 50 metres in the industrial area.

This was stated by Dr D. K. Chadha, chairman of the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) at a mass awareness programme for ground water protection in Ludhiana.

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He also stated that the administration would be asked to fund, through loans or grants, effluent treatment plants at industries which are unable to fund them on their own. The CGWA will also take steps to ensure that all structures drawing ground water, except for hand pumps, are registered and their specifications noted. The municipal corporation has also been instructed that all tubewells and hand pumps supplying polluted water be painted red.

He said that while the CGWA would be enforcing some of these orders on their own, the Deputy Commissioner would also be authorised to act on behalf of the Authority.