The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) has registered a case against Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) for discharging untreated waste water from around 200 industries in Taloja MIDC into Waghavli creek.
Jayawant Hajare, sub-regional officer in the MPCB, said: “It was found during a raid that CETP’s treatment plant was partially shut down for a few months and untreated waste water was being discharged into the creek.” Mr. Hajare said release of hazardous chemicals into the creek would threaten marine life and pose a health risk to residents of the area.
The MPCB has registered a case against the directors and the operator of the plant under Sections 277 (fouling water of public spring or reservoir), 278 (making atmosphere noxious to health), 432 ( mischief by causing inundation or obstruction to public drainage attended with damage) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code. Senior Police Inspector Ravindra Budhwant of Taloja police station said. “We have registered a case and investigation is on. We are yet to identify the directors of the plant.”
A proposal to set up CETP was mooted in 1994 under the guidelines of the Ministry of Environment & Forests to treat effluents from small scale industries in Taloja. In December 1999, CETP began operations with a capacity to treat 10 million litres per day. Later, CETP also decided to treat effluents from large and medium scale industries.
A diffused aeration system and decanter centrifuge costing over ₹1 crore were installed to treat waste from industries manufacturing chemicals, drugs, fertilizers, glass, petrochemicals, pigments, dyes, engineering and textile products, and food and fish processing items.
