MARGAO
Invoking the “polluter pays principle”, the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) has asked fish meal and fish processing units in the Cuncolim Industrial estate to show cause why the polluter pays penalty amounting to crores of rupees should not be imposed on them for discharging the effluents into the ground via the illegal borewells.
The units were further asked to show cause why directions to close down the units should not be issued against them for operating the units in violation of the Water and Air Acts. While giving seven-day time to the unit owners to reply to the notice, the GSPCB has warned that failure to comply with the aforesaid notice will compel the Board to initiate closure directions without any further notice.
In separate notices, the GSPCB has invoked the polluter pays principle, depending on the nature and extent of the violations.
Take the case of Ms United Marine Products. The fish meal plant has been directed to show cause within seven days why a penalty amounting to Rs 1.45 crore should not be imposed on the unit for violation of the Water and Air Acts.
Similarly, Ms Sagar Feeds & Food Processing Industry has been directed to show cause why a penalty of Rs 1.74 lakh should not be imposed and the closure directions should not be issued against the unit for operating it in violation of the Water and Air Acts.
Two other units were also told to show cause why the polluter pays principle should not be invoked against them.
A look at the show cause notice shows that inspection of Ms United Marine revealed that prior NOC from GSPCB for modification to the environment protection system or upgradation of pollution control equipment was not obtained.
Saying that the environmental audit statement furnished by the unit is vague and does not give factual figures, the notice stated that the wastewater generated at the fish unloading area, multi-effect evaporator (MEE), cooling tower, boiler were hidden underground.
“ETP capacity and the scheme is not satisfactory. Secondary treatment is underground which actually should be above ground. Reason for abandoning of anaerobic installation is not available,” the show-cause notice stated, adding it is evident that the presently operated ETP is of a much lower capacity and design than that required for actual wastewater generation on the site.
The GSPCB noted that the underground strata at Cuncolim is composed of laterite rock and therefore it may be possible to discharge treated effluent for gardening at less than 6L per m2 of available land for gardening and considering available 1613m2 gardening area w.r.t. plant layout furnished by the site, maximum 10m3 treated effluent conforming to treated effluent discharge limits can only be discharged for gardening.
“Considering 18m’ per day treated effluent generation w.r.t. electricity consumption that too without knowing the quality, it is not possible that soil will absorb this quantity of effluent and therefore it is highly possible that the treated or untreated effluent is discharged wrongfully,” the show-cause notice issued to Ms United Marine stated.
