GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
RAJYA SABHA
STARRED QUESTION NO. 36
TO BE ANSWERED ON 06.02.2025
Grossly Polluting Industries
36*. DR. BHIM SINGH:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

(a) whether Government has formulated a detailed action plan to monitor and control the grossly polluting industries (GPIs) as defined by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB);

(b) if so, the details of the State-wise status of GPIs; and
(c) whether Government has taken any special steps to prevent the discharging of effluents into water bodies and to control handling of hazardous substances by these industries, if so, the details thereof, State-wise?

ANSWER

MINISTER FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
(SHRI BHUPENDER YADAV)
(a) to (c): A Statement is laid on the table of the House.

STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY OF PARA (a) to (c) OF RAJYA SABHA
STARRED QUESTION NO. 36 TO BE ANSWERED ON 06.02.2025 RAISED BY DR.
BHIM SINGH TITLED “GROSSLY POLLUTING INDUSTRIES”

(a) & (b):
Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has defined Grossly Polluting Industry (GPI) as an industry which is discharging effluents into a water course and (a) handling hazardous substances (as specified under the Schedule-I, Part-II of the Manufacture, Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemical Rules of 1989 under Environment (Protection) Act, 1986) and/or (b) generating effluent having Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) load of 100 kg per day or more.

GPI units are identified by State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) / Pollution Control Committee (PCCs) following above criteria. As per the information provided by SPCBs/PCCs, there are total 3,519 Grossly Polluting Industries in the country. State-wise status of GPIs is given at Annexure-I.

(c):
Steps taken by the Government for prevention and control of water pollution are given below:

• Govt. of India enacted the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 and the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 for protection of environment including water bodies. The Central and State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) / Pollution Control Pollution Committees (PCCS) implement the provisions of both the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 and the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 to prevent and control pollution of aquatic resources.

• A voluntary program of upgradation of process technology and Effluent Treatment Plant system was implemented in major industrial sectors like Pulp & Paper, Sugar, Distillery, Textile and Tannery resulting in reduction in fresh water consumption, waste water discharge & pollution load and improvement in compliance.

• Model Consolidated Consent and Authorization (CCA) incorporating novel and proven cleaner technologies, specific fresh water consumption & effluent discharge norms have been adopted by seven Ganga & Yamuna main stem States.

• The Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has notified “Standards for Emission or Discharge of Environmental Pollutants from various Industries” under Schedule-I of the Environment Protection Rules, 1986. The industrial sectors, for which specific standards are not available, general standards as notified under Schedule-VI of the Environment Protection Rules, 1986 are applicable.

• Installation of Online Continuous Effluent Monitoring Systems (OCEMS) by 17 categories of industries and GPIs in the country as per directives issued by CPCB. This initiative provides real-time information on effluent quality, enabling the identification of noncomplying units and the implementation of corrective actions.

• CPCB has prepared guidelines for conservation and Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) in feasible industrial sectors, along with guidelines for the utilization of treated effluent in irrigation. Treated wastewater can be reused in various industrial sectors to reduce dependency on freshwater, enhance sustainability, and promote effective water resource management.

• For rejuvenation of Polluted River Stretches (PRS) identified in 2018, action plans were prepared by River Rejuvenation Committee (RRC) constituted by the respective State Government/ UT Administration, under the overall supervision and coordination of Principal Secretary, Environment of the concerned State/ Union Territory for bringing all the polluted river stretches identified by CPCB fit for bathing purposes [i.e. Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) should be less than 3 milligrams per liter and the fecal coliform count (FC) should be less than 500 Most Probable Number (MPN) per 100 milliliters of
Water].