Riga Sugar Mill in Sitamarhi. Picture by Ashok Sinha

The Bihar State Pollution Control Board has released a list of 19 industrial units, including big houses United Spirits Limited, Barauni Oil Refinery and Hindustan Coca Cola Beverages Pvt. Ltd, “potentially polluting” the Ganga and its tributaries in the state.

The Ganga’s main stem along Patna seems to be at higher risk from industrial pollution as three among the 19 units listed by the Bihar State Pollution Control Board (BSPCB), including United Spirits Limited at Hathidah and United Paper Boards Pvt. Ltd at Patliputra Industrial Area, have been identified as “grossly polluting industries”.

BSPCB member secretary Rakesh Kumar said the board would order closure of United Paper Boards Pvt. Ltd because of heavy discharge of industrial effluents in Ganga along Patna. According to the Central Pollution Control Board, grossly polluting industries are defined as the units which discharge more than 100kilo litre wastewater per day.

The move to host names of polluting industries on the website of BSPCB (http:// bspcb.bih.nic.in) comes in the wake of the observation made by the Supreme Court on October 29 that the Centre as well as the pollution control boards of the states along the Ganga utterly failed in their duty to take action against the polluting industries. The apex court had instructed the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to monitor and inspect the industrial units along the Ganga and take strict action against the polluting units.

“Complying with the directives from NGT, we have come up with the list of 19 industries in Bihar, which have been identified as potentially polluting units for the Ganga and its tributaries. We shall constantly monitor the presence of effluents in the wastewater discharged from all the 19 units and strict action would be taken against those violating the norms,” said BSPCB member secretary Rakesh.

The stretch of the Ganga in Bihar is 405km in Bihar. Its seven tributaries also pass through the state. Ashok Ghosh, professor-in-charge, department of environment and water management, A.N. College, Patna, claimed that the Ganga was highly polluted along its banks at most places in Patna.