'Monitor Sipcot units for release of illegal effluents in Ranipet'

CHENNAI: The Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Ranipet Collector and Water Resource Department (WRD) to monitor all the firms within the State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu (Sipcot) for illegal effluents discharge.

Meanwhile, a chemical industry within the Ranipet Sipcot has been directed not to discharge effluents into the public drains and to strictly adhere to the Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) norms.

The Bench comprising K Ramakrishnan and expert member Satyagopal Korlapati also directed the Thirumalai Chemicals Ltd in the Sipcot complex not to discharge sewage from their property to public drains, ultimately mixing it in water bodies. Besides this, the industry is also being warned to strictly adhere to environmental laws for maintaining pollution control mechanisms.

The application to the bench noted that due to pollution caused by the largest industry inside Ranipet Sipcot, two rivers Palaar and Ponniyaar are subjected to high pollution.

The industry, currently drawing up to 2.2 lakh litres of groundwater, is discharging the untreated effluents into Puliyankannu and Kaarai lakes using the water channels. Due to this, the agricultural activities in the area have been drastically affected, also causing health hazards, the bench observed.

Meanwhile, due to various environmental violations by the industry, the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) has previously imposed hefty compensations of Rs 18.60 lakh and Rs 17.40 lakh on two different occasions for the violations by the Thirumalai Chemicals.

Subsequently, the Tribunal took note of the compensation levied for the violation and directed the SPCB to monitor the functioning of the industry, especially during monsoon.