The National Human Rights Commission(NHRC) has sought an action taken report(ATR) from the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) on industrial pollution in Brahmani river.

Sand mining continues in many parts of Kendrapada and Jajpur districts despite the August 14 National Green Tribunal order to curb such practices without proper environment clearance.

BHUBANESWAR: Rivers of Odisha are far more polluted than what is projected by the Orissa State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB), pointed out experts at a seminar here on Wednesday.

The Wildlife Society of Orissa (WSO) has asked the ministry of environment to investigate into the Jindal Steel and Power (JSP) plant illegally drawing groundwater for its upcoming power plant in Angul district.

JSP is building a 12-million tonne steel plant with a captive power plant of 135 MW.
Khirod Singh, a lawyer and farmer in Angul district, pointed out that, “Our tube wells and ponds have all begun to go dry and by mid-March we will not even have drinking water. Last year also we suffered the same fate.”

ROURKELA: There has been no headway in the solid waste management (SWM) project in the city despite availability of funds under the 12th Finance Commission. The Rourkela Municipality has received Rs 4 crore in the last four years.

Earlier efforts of the civic body to find a suitable place for SWM have met the dead end. It had identified a plot in Balughat and started dumping garbage there after constructing a boundary wall. However, nearby residents complained about the stench and the Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) also rejected the site stating that the waste may spill into the nearby river Brahmani. The municipality and Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) then chose an open space near the airstrip to dump solid waste but were soon slapped with show cause notices by OSPCB.

The Brahmani river here is facing pollution threat.

Forest and environment minister Bijayshree Routray today informed the State Assembly that the Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) has found 43 stations of nine main rivers of the state as

ANGUL: The construction of the gas-based Talcher Fertiliser Revival project will start in six months.

The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) is investigating a complaint that Jindal Steel and Power Limited (JSPL) has sunk almost 400 borewells to source water for its mega steel and power plant in Angul, Odisha, instead of drawing water from the Brahmani river, as stipulated in its environment clearance. The company admits it has not yet completed its pipeline to the river, but claims that it is running a 135 MW power plant using collected rainwater instead.

Since it would take about five to six years to develop the projects

The state grid network will add about 1,500 Mw from hydro power generating plants by 2020, said the water resources department."We have 10 projects under pipeline with a combined capacity close to 1,500 Mw and the DPRs (detailed project report) will be completed by December 2012. We hope the energy department would award the contracts within one year (after the DPR submission)”, said Suresh Chandra Mahapatra, state water resources secretary, while speaking at a workshop on “Development of Grid Connected Small/Mini/Micro Hydro Projects” here.