Untreated domestic, dairy effluents major source of water pollution in city

Tribune News Service

Shivani Bhakoo

Ludhiana, June 5

World Environment Day is celebrated worldwide to raise awareness about the importance of environmental conservation. However, in Ludhiana, the most significant threat to the environment comes from untreated domestic and dairy effluent, contrary to the common perception that blames industries for pollution. According to data from the Punjab Pollution Control Board, Ludhiana’s water pollution is primarily caused by untreated domestic effluent, accounting for 47 per cent of the Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) load, followed by dairy effluent at 29 per cent.

In the case of the Sutlej, the three main sources of polluted water are domestic effluent, dairy effluent, and industrial effluent. Ludhiana generates a total of 761 million litres per day (MLD) of effluent, with domestic effluent contributing 612 MLD, industrial effluent 137 MLD, and dairy effluent 12 MLD. However, the operational capacity of the sewage treatment plants (STPs) installed by the Municipal Corporation (MC) is only 418 MLD, resulting in a significant gap of 194 MLD of untreated effluent. This untreated effluent is discharged directly into Budha Nullah, a water channel, through multiple outlets maintained by the MC. The average BOD concentration of this untreated sewage is assumed to be 180 mg/l, indicating severe pollution levels. Higher BOD levels indicate lower oxygen content in water, making it more polluted and hazardous.

According to reliable sources at the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), there are two major dairy complexes contributing to the effluent, Tajpur Road Cluster with 275 dairies and Haibowal Dairy Complex with 700 dairies. From November 2019 to February 2022, the average BOD concentration in dairy waste was recorded as 1840 mg/l, contributing to approximately 29 per cent of untreated effluent.

In contrast, the industrial sector’s contribution to Ludhiana’s water pollution is comparatively low, with an estimated 6 per cent BOD from treated industrial effluent. The total discharge of industrial effluent in Ludhiana city is approximately 137 MLD.

To address this, three Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs) have been installed with capacities of 15 MLD for Bahadurke Road, 50 MLD for Tajpur Road, and 40 MLD for Focal Point dyeing clusters. These CETPs have a combined capacity of 105 MLD. Additionally, other industries have their own Effluent Treatment Plants (ETPs), with a prescribed discharge standard of 30 mg/l BOD.

Ashok Makkar, president of the Ludhiana Dyeing Association, highlights the issue that industries are often unfairly blamed for the rising pollution levels, while little attention is given to the untreated effluent discharged by domestic users and dairy complex owners.

It is worth noting that the government prepared an action plan for clean river Sutlej in January 2019, which required the MC Ludhiana to install a CETP with a capacity of 5 MLD for Tajpur Dairy Complex and a CETP with a capacity of 10 MLD for Haibowal Dairy Complex by December 2020. However, no action has been taken by the MC, resulting in continued pollution of water bodies by untreated wastewater from domestic and dairy complexes, severely affecting the entire city’s population.

Meanwhile, MC Commissioner Shena Aggarwal said two STPs had already come up at Jamalpur and Balloke, respectively, and one of them was operational. By August, the MC was hopeful that the entire domestic effluent would get treated. At the same time, for dairy complexes, the STPs would be ready by October, said Aggarwal, adding since Ludhiana was densely populated, the domestic discharge would certainly be more but it could not be compared with the industrial discharge, which includes chemicals and other dangerous pollutants.

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