Sept. 19: Rapped by the Pollution Control Board, Assam, the Guwahati Refinery has started clearing the untreated oily sludge from a pond on its campus.

The board’s chairman, J.L. Dutta, who had visited the refinery recently, today said he has seen the authorities cleaning the sludge from the huge pond, called Object-29, with the help of experts from outside.

The sludge was lying in the pond, untreated, for the past 40 years. A few days back, the pollution control board had directed the refinery management to dispose of the muck.

Dutta was satisfied with the prompt reaction from the refinery authorities. He asked the executive director and senior officials of the refinery to ensure that the crude oil does not flow out of the refinery.

The chairman said whatever construction is required to achieve 100 per cent oil recovery, even during the rainy season, should be done.

Dutta was accompanied by a team of senior officials of the board.

The team inspected different installations at the refinery, and also examined the various pollution control measures adopted by it.

“I have requested the refinery officials to put up a display board, giving details regarding the hazardous waste, wherever required, both in English and in the local dialect within Tuesday, and to provide the media with all the relevant details,” he said.

Dutta inspected the tank bottoms, the ongoing cleaning of the four big tanks, which is almost complete, and recovery of oil from the sludge.

Dutta directed the refinery authorities to monitor the quality of groundwater near the refinery.

He also asked them to finish constructing the new effluent treatment plant and minimise the discharge of effluents into the Brahmaputra.

The Pollution Control Board has asked the refinery to aim for zero effluent discharge by reusing the waste-water in the refinery.

According to the board, if the refinery carries out the above-mentioned steps, then pollution of the Brahmaputra can be controlled to a great extent.

Currently, the rate of effluent discharge into the Brahmaputra is 3,600 kilolitres per day. Dutta also visited the LPG filling site and noticed that during the time when the cylinders are filled with the gas, a large amount of LPG is burnt.

The team also paid a visit to the refinery hospital and discussed biomedical waste management with the doctors and the nurses.

Dutta asked the refinery to install a double-chambered incinerator, along with the latest pollution control devices.

He also advised construction of a modern effluent treatment plant for effective biomedical waste disposal.

The Guwahati refinery was commissioned in 1962 for processing the indigenous crude oil from the Assam oil fields.

A study conducted by the board in June this year, using water sample collected from the Brahmaputra at different points in the city, showed the presence of phenolic compounds and a high concentration of oil and grease.