Shillong, Aug. 26: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) today directed the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board to specify the number of industries and hospitals in the state who have not complied with the directives issued by the board in 2012.

The order was passed by the NGT eastern zone bench, Calcutta, with judicial member Justice P. Jyothimani and expert member P.C. Mishra, in the bench.

“The Meghalaya Pollution Control Board has filed a status report containing the list of hospitals and some industries, which are coming under the red category. However, on perusal of the report, we find that the board has issued certain directions to these industries and hospitals as early as in 2012. We do not know as to what subsequent action was taken by the board as on today,” the bench stated in its order.

Therefore, the bench directed the board to file another status report wherein the report should contain the number of red category industries/hospitals situated in the urban areas of the state.

The board would also have to declare the number of such industries/hospitals, which are complying with the environmental norms as on today after inspection made by competent officers of the board.

It was further asked to indicate the number of industries/hospitals, which have not complied with the directions and action taken by the board under Air Act, Water Act and Biomedical Wastes Rule.

The tribunal directed the state health secretary to file a status report regarding the treatment of biomedical wastes in respect of hospitals situated in the urban centres of Meghalaya.

The tribunal also issued orders to the municipal board and the secretary (local bodies) to file a status report about Waste Management System, which is being violated in the urban areas of the state by the next date of hearing so that an appropriate order could be passed.

The next date of hearing has been scheduled for October 28.

The tribunal is adjudicating on the issue relating to air and water pollution in Meghalaya as reported by the Comptroller and Auditor-General (CAG) in its report for March 31, 2011.

A comprehensive account on pollution control and waste management in the state, which reflected in the CAG report, pointed out that Meghalaya, in general, and Shillong in particular, are no longer clean.

Apart from the unsatisfactory air quality, the report also divulged that water was found to be “unfit for drinking” in 28 of 31 waterbodies of six districts in the state. The CAG report had mentioned that lack of waste processing facilities in four municipal boards or scientific landfills in all the six municipal boards resulted in open dumping of mixed waste that could lead to environmental pollution.

In violation of the Biomedical Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 139 of 178 health institutions in the state were functioning without authorisation from the board, the report had stated.

It said the extent of air pollution caused by 481 industries was not monitored by the board. Besides, coal-mining activities were being carried out in the state without any authorisation.

The most worrying factor, according to the CAG report, was the impact of air and water pollution on human health.

“Scrutiny of statistical data furnished in July 2011 by the director of health services from 2006 to 2010 revealed that 2.27 lakh to 3.54 lakh patients treated in the state during the period suffered from diseases like bronchitis, acute upper respiratory infection, pulmonary tuberculosis, whooping cough and others caused by air pollution,” it said.

Similarly, the report said the number of patients in the state suffering from water-borne diseases like dysentery, cholera and others during 2006-2010 was between 1.42 lakh and 2.03 lakh.