Industrial units in Punjab continue to discharge untreated effluents in open drains and water channels even though the state government has been campaigning for a greener Punjab.

The lackadaisical approach of the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) in taking stern action against the industrial units flouting the norms is one of the major reasons behind the non-compliance of the norms.

Leaders of Poribesh Bachao Andolon (Poba) yesterday demanded that the government immediately relocate the tannery industries at Hazaribagh to Savar to save the Buriganga river from pollution.

Farmers of Vellore district are pinning their hopes on the State government to set up an independent expert body to reassess the actual impact of tannery effluents as well as work out strategies to

LAHORE: As many as 250 tanneries of all sizes are operating in residential areas of Sialkot and are discharging their effluents without treatment, Environmental Protection Agency’s Punjab Director

The Department of Environment yesterday penalised the owner of an illegal leather gloves factory in Ashulia with a Tk 37 lakh fine.

In the grievance meet held here on Friday, Collector Ajay Yadav assured farmers that polluting units that do not conform to Zero Liquidity Discharge norms would be shut down.

Addressing farmers’ grievances, he said, “We will take measures to close down the factories discharging effluents into Palar and not complying with zero liquid discharge. I have discussed this with the chairman of Pollution Control Board.”

We Indians have got so used to seeing garbage spilling over from municipal dustbins at street corners and often even strewn around in open public spaces, that we accept this phenomenon as inevitable. We look the other way with what seems like futile hope that some day, someone will find a solution to our problem and rid us of this major health hazard of urban living in India.

The integrated solid waste management project in Kanpur offers hope. Located on the western bank of the Ganga, Kanpur is an important industrial city of Uttar Pradesh, the largest state in India. With a population of 36 lakh (3.6 million) and a total area of 260 sq kilometres,