Common Effluent Treatment Plant: A Solution or a Problem in Itself

Title: Common Effluent Treatment Plant: A Solution or a Problem in Itself
Publication Type: Research Reports
Year of Publication: 2000
Abstract: The Common Effluent Treatment Plan (CETP) was introduced to deal with the effluent in the SSI sector, in the hope that not only would it help in pollution abatement but would also be a step towards a cleaner environment. This-much hyped “solution” has failed because of the heterogeneous nature of the effluent from different industries. It has only compounded the toxic content to larger volumes. In addition, with the changing nature of effluents, many toxic substances have found their way into the waste stream. With the growing pace of industrialisation, CETP is unable to cater to the need of the industrial clusters, which has resulted in bypassing the treatment and directly discharging the untreated effluent in water bodies. There is a need to take an integrated approach to environmental resource use and consumption. We should be careful not to create a new problem while addressing old ones or shift the problems from one sector to another.