Down To Earth brings you the top environmental cases heard in the Supreme Court, the high courts and the National Green Tribunal
JP cement factory at Churk
The Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) filed a report on pollution by emission of coal dust and cement dust from the operation of JP Cement factory and its power plant at Churk in Uttar Pradesh’s Sonbhadra district.
The report was in pursuance of a National Green Tribunal (NGT) order issued September 18, 2019. The court directed the Sonbhadra’s district magistrate and the UPPCB to jointly look into the matter and take appropriate action in accordance with law and furnish a factual and action-taken report in the matter.
The unit was inspected by a joint team of district administration and UPPCB and shortcomings in air pollution control system were observed.
A show cause notice was issued to the unit on November 29, 2019 and environmental compensation of Rs. 92.10 lakhs was imposed. The industry submitted a compliance report to reconsider the compensation imposed as the unit said it was now in compliance with the environmental laws.
Solid waste management at Pithoragarh
A report over violation of Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 in Sirar village in Uttarakhand’s Pithoragarh, was sent to the NGT in compliance with an order issued on October 17, 2019.
The NGT directed the secretary of the state’s urban development department to look into the matter and taken remedial action.
The report said plastic was segregated from municipal solid waste by Pithoragarh’s municipal council.
Around nine tonnes of such plastic was disposed with the help of a plastic compactor.
Segregated vegetables, fruit waste and other organic waste was disposed of by using an organic waste converter with a capacity of one ton per day.
The compost prepared was used by the council in their own parks and grounds. A solid waste management plant at Pithoragarh would be functional and operational by March 31, 2020 once tenders for it were processed.
Coastal pollution
A joint committee inspection report was submitted to the NGT on February, 2020 over a matter of coastal pollution by dumping waste and discharge of sewage and effluents in Tamil Nadu.
The committee comprised of members of the Central Pollution Control Board, Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) and Greater Chennai Corporation.
The committee members inspected the shoreline of Pattinampakkam near the confluence point of river Adyar on February 3, 2020.
No sea foaming was noticed and mixed sewage inflow from the river into the sea was observed due to low tide action.
The committee recommended that TNPCB should monitor the common sewage treatment plants located at Nesapakkam operated by Chennai Metro Water Supply & Sewerage Board and M / s Pallavaram Tanners Industrial Effluent Treatment Company Ltd. Flow meters installed at CSTPS should be connected to TNPCB online monitoring system for effective monitoring, according to the committee.
The Chennai River Restoration Trust (CRRT) was asked to review the performance of the work it carried out regularly.
The action plan of the CRRT involved curbing pollution, eviction of encroachments, plugging sewer in-falls providing interceptors and diversion arrangements, modular sewage treatment plants and widening and deepening of waterways.
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