Pune: The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board ( MPCB ), Pune, has issued a notice to the MIDC executive engineer directing an action plan to restrict seepage of sub-standard effluent in the Kurkumbh MIDC area within seven days. The move follows a series of pollution complaints received by the board from the area. The board, in its notice, has also directed MIDC officials to carry out a water audit jointly with the authorities responsible for operating the common effluent treatment plant ( CETP ) through renowned institutes like NEERI, IIT or ICT within three months.
The MPCB has issued a similar notice to the Kurkumbh Environment Protection Cooperative Society, which was formed to look after the operations of CETP in the area. The directives came after a series of meetings between MIDC and MPCB officials over the last few months. A senior MIDC official said the infrastructure for Kurkumbh CETP was set up by MIDC as it was financially not viable for the small-scale industries in the area to set up full-fledged effluent treatment facilities.
Besides, they also lacked technical expertise for it, the official said. The MPCB stated in the notice that the board had received various complaints of water pollution from the Kurkumbh MIDC area. The CETP was operated by MIDC till around 2005, after which the Kurkumbh Environment Protection Cooperative Society was formed with the industrial members.
The plant was later handed over to them. The MIDC official said, "We have already submitte.
