Nullah continues to be plagued by heavy metals’ presence

According to PPCB,nickel should not be a part of the drinking water at all. In its report it has submitted that there should be zero content of nickel,which is extremely dangerous,in the Nullah. However,0.11 mg (milligram) of zinc is available in every one litre of Nullah. Similarly,while the permissible limit of chrome should be 0.05 mg/l,there is 0.18 mg/l in the Nullah.

Moreover,the permissible limit of iron is 0.3 mg/l (milligram per litre) but there is 10.8 mg/l in the Nullah. Also,the permissible limit for copper is 0.05 but 0.07 mg/l of copper is still present in the Nullah.

It is pertinent to mention here that after years of collective efforts of PPCB and repeated strictures passed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court,the content of cadmium and lead has vanished. Also,the content of zinc has also come down considerably. In its report,the PPCB has submitted that the content of heavy metals in the Nullah has reduced substantially from 2006 to 2010.

The PPCB has also submitted that among organic parameters monitored by the board,the key parameter of bio-chemical oxygen demand (BOD) still exceeds the permissible limit.

In its report,the board has submitted that complying with directions of the High Court “No treated or untreated effluent is being discharged from the common effluent treatment plant into the public sewer and /or Buddha Nullah. On the contrary,the treated effluent from the common effluent treatment plant is being used as a process water by a nearby dyeing Industry,thus recycling and reusing the entire discharge”.

Three sewage treatment plants (STP) have been installed in Ludhiana for the treatment of domestic sullage of Ludhiana.

Two common effluent treatment plants will be installed in Ludhiana (one at Tajpur road and the other at Bahadurke Road) for treatment of effluents generated by the small and medium scale dyeing industries of the city.