CETP Palsana Enviro Protection Ltd. (PEPL)

This CETP is located outside the city limits at Village Umbhel, Taluka-Kamrej, falling within the SUDA boundary. All its members are from the textile sector, located in the villages of Jolva, Vankaneda, Tantithaiya, Vareli and Kadodara, etc. Since all the CETP member units are from the textile sector, the CETP treats homogeneous effluents. The effluents are conveyed to the CETP through a network of pipelines and the treated effluents are discharged into the Kadodara creek which further meets the Koyli creek before meeting the Gulf of Khambat. The sewage from the Gram Panchayats is also discharged into the pipeline carrying industrial effluents which actually helps in diluting the effluents.

The CETP has been prescribed a standard of 400 mg/1 for the inlet effluents to the CETP and of 30 mg/1 for the treated effluents in the consent order issued by the GPCB under the Water Act. The average BOD value at the inlet of the CETP is observed to be 281 mg/1 for the study period, the minimum value being 122 mg/1 and the maximum value being 495 mg/1. The concentration of pollution in the case of the inlet effluents is much less when compared to that of the other CETPs treating effluents from chemical units. The average BOD value of the treated effluents is 85 mg/1. The CETP reduces the concentration of the BOD by 67 per cent against an expected value of 85 per cent. However, the performance of the CETP in the year 2017 is observed to be much improved. The reason for the improved efficiency in 2017 can be the same as explained for the CETPs in GIDC Sachin. The industries were being monitored more rigorously and the fear of being caught and punished was ever present.

For the COD, the standard to be met by the inlet effluents to the CETP is 1000 mg/1 while the average observed value for the study period is 980 mg/1. The value of the COD for treated effluents is observed to be 367 mg/1 against a standard of 250 mg/1. The COD reduction by this CETP is 61 per cent, which is comparable to the BOD reduction. This CETP too exhibits a much-improved performance in 2017.

The Kadodara khadi, where the CETP discharges its effluents, has an average BOD of 44 mg/1 for the study period, downstream of the discharge point. However, upstream of the discharge point, the BOD is merely 2.3 mg/1. This clearly indicates that the CETP is causing pollution in the khadi. However, the monitoring of the receiving water body is not carried out regularly by the regulator and there are only 15 observations during the period from 2011 to 2015. There have also been instances of bypass of the untreated effluents from this CETP and the concentration of pollutants in bypass effluents has been found to be in the range of the inlet values to the CETP. A few readings for the quality of water in the Kadodara creek are available for the upstream and downstream of the discharge point of the CETP and have been discussed in Chapter 9.

The capacity of this CETP has been enhanced by another 50 MED and the additional capacity has become operational since 2014. The clearance for additional capacity has been given by the regulator, subject to the condition that the CETP will have to recycle/reuse 50 MLD of treated effluents for use by the member units by giving tertiary treatment and the overall discharge into the Kadodara khadi shall not exceed 100 MLD. The CETP can only have textile units as member units and no chemical unit can bebecome a member. As far as the standards for the inlet and treated effluents are concerned, these have remained the same.

CETP Gujarat Eco Textile Park Ltd. (CETPL)

The GETPL is an industrial park developed by a private developer and houses textile units. It has its own CETP with an installed capacity 60 MLD. However, the capacity being utilised currently is only 22 MLD. The effluents are conveyed to the CETP through pipelines. The treated effluents are discharged into the Baleshwar creek which finally meets the Gulf of Khambat.

The CETP has been prescribed a standard of 400 mg/1 for the inlet effluents to the CETP. The average observed value of the BOD at the inlet of the CETP is only 276 mg/1, which is quite less as compared to that of the other CETPs. There are also a few instances when the inlet effluents to the CETP have not been able to meet the prescribed standards. The average value of the BOD in the treated effluents leaving the CETP is 67 mg/1 against a permissible limit of 30 mg/1. The CETP reduces the BOD concentration by 72 per cent against an expected value of 85 per cent. Though the concentration of pollution at the inlet of this CETP, on an average, is less and the percentage reduction of the BOD by the CETP is better when compared to that of the other CETPs, still this CETP is not able toachieve the standard of 30 mg/1 and has an exceedance factor of2.2 for the BOD in the treated effluents. This CETP has the minimum exceedance factor against the permissible standard for treated BOD when compared to all the CETPs analysed for Ahmedabad and Surat. However, for the year 2017, the average BOD in the treated effluent was 29.4 mg/1, i.e. within the permissible standards, again an effect of the judicial activism against pollution by the NGT.

The performance for the CETP with respect to the COD is the same as that for the BOD. The average value of the COD at the inlet is 1009 mg/1 as compared to the standard of 1000 mg/1. For the treated effluents, the COD value is 294 mg/1 against a permissible value of 250 mg/1. However, for the year 2017, the average COD in the treated effluents is 193.8 mg/1, which is well within the permissible standard.