effluent treatment: Under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, every industry has to provide effluent treatment plants before disposal, irrespective of whether it is in stream, land, sewerage system or sea.
The small scale industrial units (SSI), which are presently defined as units whose plant and machinery are valued at less than Rs. 5 crore occupy an important place in the Indian economy. The SSIs are a major contributor to the total industrial pollution load of the country. However, only a small fraction of the effluent discharge from these units is estimated to be treated as on date.
SSIs, due to their limited size and scale of operations do not find it economically viable to install dedicated pollution control equipment and therefore the concept of Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs) is suitable for them. CETPs help in achieving end-of-pipe treatment of combined wastewater of the SSIs at lower unit cost and also facilitate better monitoring by the State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) and Pollution Control Committees (PCCs).
The Ministry of Environment & Forests (MoEFCC) has been implementing a centrally sponsored scheme for CETPs since 1991. In the light of the operational deficiencies in the earlier scheme, the development of pollution control technologies over the year and also the financial constraints on the part of SSI proponents and the recommendations of SPCBs related thereto, a need was felt to revise the earlier guidelines for central assistance to CETPs.Read More..