Shut all 122 Kanpur tanneries again, says UP pollution control board

UP Jal Nigam official said they would need around a month more to complete the project.

“UPPCB issued directions to close down functioning of tanneries in Kanpur because CEPT’s Sewage Treatment Plant (STP), which dilute chemical waste of tanneries, was not working. Tanneries would remain closed till CEPT start functioning,” said Ashish Tiwari, member-secretary of UPPCB.

The owners of tanneries in Kanpur alleged that the government was “deliberately harassing them.”

In August, the UPPCB in August this year allowed tanneries in Kanpur to reopen on the condition that they halve production and modify their infrastructure in compliance with the anti-pollution norms. The decision was taken on the basis of inspection by the Kanpur district administration. There are 402 tanneries in Kanpur.

Ahead of the Kumbh Mela, the state government had directed to stop the 261 operational tanneries in November because of alleged waste disposal in the Ganga river.

“We are being harassed by the UPPCB and the state government. State government should ensure UP Jal Nigam to complete rehabilitation work of trunk sewer during the period when tanneries were closed for around eight months,” said Small Tanneries’ Association, president, Babu Bhai.

“We received notices from UPPCB to close down tanneries till further order yesterday. We are suffering a heavy loss because of regular shut down of tanneries,” said Small Tanneries’ Association, executive member, Dr Feroz Alam.

“UPPCB has issued notices of shut down to 122 tanneries located in Jajmau area of Kanpur. These tanneries were operational,” said an UPPCB officer posted in Kanpur.

Jal Nigam’s general manager in Kanpur, SK Kansal said, CEPT is design in such a way that for dilution, tanneries and domestic sent their discharges in ratio of nine million litres per day (MLD) and 27 MLD, respectively. “Since trunk sewer is under rehabilitation so no domestic discharge is taken to CEPT for dilution hence treatment plant is not working as it was designed for,” said Kansal.

He added that the rehabilitation work of trunk sewer is chosen during monsoon period because in the flood there is less impact on the river. “We need around a month more to complete the work of rehabilitation,” said Kansal.