Report on sugar mill in Laksar, Haridwar District, Uttarakhand
Action taken report by the Uttarakhand Pollution Control Board (UKPCB) in Original Application No. 960 of 2019 in compliance to the NGT order of November 11, 2019 in the matter of Jodh Singh Vs State of Uttarakhand. The matter related to discharge of wastewater from a sugar mill (M/s R.B.N.S. Sugar Mill Ltd. and distillery unit) into agricultural land in Laksar, district Haridwar.
An inspection was carried out by the Regional Officer of Uttarakhand Pollution Control Board on February 20, 2020. According to the inspection report, there are two units - M/s R.B.N.S. Sugar Mill Ltd. and M/s R.B.N.S. Sugar Mill Ltd. (Distillery unit), which are in operation at the same premises.
The sugar mill's effluent treatment plant was in operation and the sample analysis report was as per norms as well as the stack monitoring report. The unit was reusing treated water totally in cooling process. The distillery unit was maintaining Zero Liquid Discharge and concentrated spent wash after multi effect evaporator (MEE) was stored in lagoons for bio-composting.
The units had provided pollution control measures as per Consolidated Consent and Authorization (CCA) conditions and was maintaining Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD).
However, in order to ensure appropriate operation of pollution control measures and compliance of CCA conditions, the SPCB issued the following instructions:
1. The unit shall dispose of the spent wash through bio-composting process only after concentrated in MEE.
2. The unit would adhere to the Standard Operating Procedure (SoP) prepared by the CPCB for bio-composting, non-compliance of SoP would be presumed as non-compliance of CPCB's directions as well as consent conditions of the UKPCB.
3. The unit would ensure that no seepage/runoff from bio-composting yard go into the drain or outside the yard areas.
Note: The report was uploaded to the NGT site on July 15, 2020