Parliament Question: Water Pollution by Industrial Effluents

OIH GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 81 TO BE ANSWERED ON 20.07.2026 Water Pollution by Industrial Effluents 81. SHRI KULDEEP INDORA: Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state: (a) whether the industrial waste emitting from textile and steel units is flowing into Sutlej, Luni, Jojri and Bandi rivers; (b) whether complaints have been received regarding illegal discharge of untreated chemical waste bypassing Common Effluent Treatment Plants situated at Punjab (particularly Ludhiana), Balotra and Pali; (c) whether any scientific assessment of Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) and level of heavy metals in ground water has been carried out in more than Fifty affected villages of Sri Ganganagar- Hanumangarh and Jodhpur-Barmer region; (d) the action taken under the "Polluter Payment Principle" against the violating units in the recent inspections; and (e) the time bound action plan of the Government for river rejuvenation and long-term environmental protection? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH) (a): The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) regulates air and water quality by enactment of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 and the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 and notified Rules, Regulations based on the said acts. The MoEFCC vide G.S.R. 978(E), dated 10.10.2016 notified standards for treated effluent for integrated textile units, units of Cotton / Woollen / Carpets / Polyester, Units having Printing / Dyeing / Bleaching process or manufacturing and Garment units. The environmental standard for integrated iron and steel plants was notified vide G.S.R. 277(E), dated 31.03.2012. The concerned State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs)/Pollution Control Committees (PCCs), in respective States ensure the implementation and compliance of these standards. SPCBs/ PCCs, through Consent mechanism under the Water Act, 1974 and the Air Act, 1981, monitor the establishment and operation of industries as well as polluting activities through prescription of pollution control measures and monitoring the compliance of environmental standards.(b): Complaints regarding untreated effluent bypassing Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs) are examined through the concerned SPCBs and/or Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) or through Hon’ble National Green Tribunal (NGT) also to assess the adequacy of treatment facilities and compliance status of Consent conditions issued by concerned SPCBs/PCCs and for taking appropriate action. In order to strengthen self-regulation, CETPs are mandated to install Online Continuous Effluent Monitoring Systems (OCEMS), for real-time monitoring and alert system with connectivity to the server of SPCBs/PCCs and CPCB. (c) and (d): As per the information provided by Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) regional- scale groundwater-quality monitoring and scientific studies in accordance with the approved Standard Operating Procedure are undertaken by CGWB which is available in the Annual Ground Water Quality Report 2025. Further, it is conveyed that Environmental Compensation, as per Central Ground Water Authority Guidelines, has been imposed on 205 units in Sri Ganganagar, Hanumangarh, Jodhpur and Barmer districts for illegal extraction of ground water. (e): Steps taken by the Government for river rejuvenation and long-term environmental protection prevention and control of water pollution are given below-  The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), in coordination with SPCBs/PCCs, currently monitors water quality at 4,922 locations across the country, including 2,265 river locations.  The CPCB has identified polluted river stretches based on the water quality data for rivers with respect to Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) parameter. The PRS are classified under Priority Class I to V, Priority I being most polluted with BOD value of more than 30 mg/l and Priority V least polluted with BOD ranging between 3 – 6 mg/l.  Based on the identified PRS and for the rejuvenation of these PRS all State Governments and UT Administrations have formed River Rejuvenation Committees (RRCs) of the concerned states/ UTs.  The RRCs are responsible for developing action plans for the rejuvenation of the PRS identified by CPCB for their respective states/ UTs. The action plans including Industrial pollution control were prepared for bringing the water quality of polluted river stretches to the quality level fit for bathing purposes (i.e. BOD ˂ 3 mg/L). Progress of implementation of action plans are reviewed by the RRC at State level and Central Monitoring Committee (CMC) constituted under the Chairmanship of Secretary, Ministry of Jal Shakti at Central Level.  The Government notified general discharge standards and industry specific effluent discharge standards under Environment (Protection) Rules, 1986 with an aim to prevent pollution in the water bodies. ****