Down To Earth brings you the top environmental cases heard in the Supreme Court, the high courts and the National Green Tribunal
Dairy farms and gaushalas
Local bodies / state pollution control boards (SPCBs) / PCCs / Gram Panchayats in the states / Union Territories should ensure that all operational dairies and gaushalas follow the “Guidelines for Environmental Management of Dairy Farms and Gaushalas”, according to a Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) report filed before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and made online on May 18, 2020.
Dairy farms and gaushalas having animal populations of 10 and above should obtain consent to establish and consent to operate under the Water Act, 1974 and the Air Act, 1981 from the concerned SPCBs / PCCs, the report, said.
The report also recommended that all local authorities / corporations should inventiorise all the dairy farms and gaushalas located in their jurisdiction in a prescribed format. This information should be updated and shared with the concerned SPCB / PCC on an annual basis.
In general, the methods used in states / UTs for disposal / utilisation of cattle dung include using dung as manure in fields, vermi-composting, biogas generation, fish feed and fuel for cremation.
SPCBs / PCCs had not provided the information about disposal / utilisation of wastewater. However, Chhattisgarh, Kerala and Mizoram stated that wastewater was being used for fodder cultivation.
Industrial compliance of environmental standards
The CPCB filed a report on the compliance status of all industries generating trade effluent and requiring effluent treatment plants (ETPs) as reported by SPCBs / PCCs.
The report also included the river basin wise status of industrial units generating trade effluent and of common effluent treatment plants (CETPs).
The May 2020 report stated that according to data received from SPCBs / PCCs, out of a total 65,135 industries requiring ETPs, 63,108 were operating with functional ETPs and 2,027 were operating without ETPs.
Show cause notices and closure directions had been issued to 968 and 881 industries respectively for operating without ETPs.
Legal cases had been filed against seven industries and action was under process against 269 industries. Out of 63,108 operational industries, 61,346 were complying with environmental standards and 1,616 were non-compliant.
CPCB informed the NGT that formats had been finalised for the collection of information from the concerned SPCBs / PCCs for the preparation of a river basin wise macro picture related to ETPs and CETPs.
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