139 industrial units get MPCB notice

Of the 10,000 units in Pune region, 9000 are mostly automobile and engineering sectors. The MPCB focuses on 1000 units mainly sugar and distillery units and chemical factories that need high surveillance regarding waste disposal.

“Surveillance found 139 units flouting norms. A unit in Daund, Ms Harmony Organics, was issued closure notice as it was found releasing effluents into a nullah,” said Pune MPCB officer A D Mohekar.

Mohekar said MPCB recently found that the factory dumped effluents into Waldhuni river affecting health of more than 600 people in Ambernath and Ulhasnagar. “The effluents were sent to Ambernath units and released into the nullah and we issued closure notice. No industry is allowed to release waste into the water body,” added Mohekar.

The MPCB found methyl ethyl ketone in the water. It was carried in tankers that emptied it into the nullah on November 28. Early on November 29, fumes from the nullah woke up locals and most of them vomited. “We issued closure notice for illegal transport of liquid waste through tankers,” said Mohekar.

In Pune region, there are 2,269 water pollution-prone industries, 2,921 air pollution-prone industries, 1,121 units generating hazardous waste and 5,994 non-polluting industries. The board’s Pune division covers Pune I, Pune II, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Solapur and Satara.

Pune I covers Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) areas and Daund, Indapur, Baramati, Purandar, Bhor and Velha talukas while MIDC areas include Kurkumbh, Baramati, Jejuri and Purandar. Pune II covers Shirur, Maval, Mulshi, Khed, Ambegaon, Junnar and part of Haveli and five municipal councils and three cantonment boards.

MPCB has instructed all units to install online monitoring system for continuous tracking of emissions and connect it to MPCB website as well as the regional office. “We asked all units to install continuous automatic ambient air and micro-meteorological monitoring stations at a location indicated by the State Board by February,” said Mohekar.

Last year, MPCB had shut down 42 industrial units in Pune, Solapur and Satara for flouting environment norms. Officials had taken cognisance of 105 cases where they have given a “proposed direction” including guidelines and intermediate directions in 43 cases. The violations included absence of mandatory environment management waste treatment system at the factory site. MPCB officials said IT companies found flouting norms had no adequate measures to treat and dispose of electronic waste.

These units were mainly from MIDC areas in Pimpri-Chinchwad, Pune, Solapur and Satara.