Industries in Bengaluru not treating effluents

Nischith N. | NT

The Economic Survey of Karnataka 2021-22 has stressed on the need to establish cluster-wise industrial complexes for textile and electroplating. The report had also emphasized on the need to to provide piped trade effluent carrying systems for these clusters.

However, industrial clusters located in Jigani and Bommasandra and other places in Bengaluru are reportedly discharging industrial effluents directly into the storm water drains, thereby polluting lakes and groundwater. In this regard, FKCCI has also placed a demand for a common effluent treatment plant (CETP) for the industries.

The economic survey report has reiterated the demand for such plants and creation of sufficient buffers around different categories of industries. “Encouraging industries where waste from one industry can be used as raw material in the other and adopting efficient treated water recycling policy,” was one of the suggestions in the report.

In Karnataka, there are 55,631 industries categorised as green, orange and red. Of these, 3,574 industries are water polluting or effluent generating and 3,352 industrial units have effluent treatment plants (ETP), with a combined capacity of 639 MLD.

A total of 435.44 MLD of effluent is generated from these industries. About 746 industries that do not have effluent treatment plants (ETP) are connected to 10 CETPs that are spread out across industrial areas in various districts of Karnataka.

“Since the ecological parameters such as quality of air, quality of drinking water, fertility of soil etc. are threatened; people are against industries coming up near their houses. Industry must do everything to ensure that the quality of ecological parameters in their vicinity is maintained on par with other neighbouring areas without industry,” the report suggested.

The report acknowledges that environmental pollution reduces the quality of natural ecosystem parameters like air, water, soil fertility which are basic needs for a safe and healthy living, agitating the people against the industrial ecosystem in their neighbourhood. Any amount of economic benefit cannot compensate for the threatened ecological comforts of the people. This may be a contributing reason why our society does not consider the industrial ecosystem as the backbone, it added.