chromium poisoning of groundwater in gurgaon

Chandigarh, January 27: The Haryana State Pollution Control Board detected ground water contamination containing excessive amount of Hexavalent chromium and total chromium in Village Sehraul and surrounding areas in June 2009.
While giving this information here today, a spokesman of Haryana State Pollution Control Board said that the villagers of Village Sehraul in their complaint mentioned that M/s Munjal Showa Ltd., P. No. 9-11, Sector-18, Gurgaon had contaminated the sub soil water and the underground water has become unfit for human consumption. A technical team of the Board carried out inspection and also collected sample of M/s Munjal Showa Ltd, Gurgaon, tubewell water of Village Sehraul. The analysis reports revealed that the tubewell water of Village Sehraul contained chromium ranging from 38.12 – 80 milligram per litre against the permissible limit of Nil.
He said that even the tubewell water of M/s Munjal Showa Ltd, Gurgaon were found to be containing Hexavalent chromium as high as 10.87 milligram per litre. The samples of Rain Water Harvesting System were also found containing total chromium as high as 17.517 milligram per litre. Based on the above investigation a show cause notice under section 33-A of the Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 was issued to the unit on 11.7.2009 and the unit was directed to submit remediation plan alongwith performance bank guarantee of Rs. 5 crore.
The spokesman further informed that M/s Munjal Showa Ltd., Gurgaon submitted the remediation plan alongwith bank guarantee of Rs. 5 crore but the remediation plan was not found in order and deficiencies were conveyed to the unit. The unit was given repeated opportunities to submit proper remediation plan for removal of Hexavalent chromium from the underground water in Village Sehraul and surrounding affected areas along with PERT chart but the unit did not comply with the directions given by the Board. The HSPCB again deputed a technical team for inspection. Technical team inspected the unit on 30.11.09 and also collected samples of tubewells of the unit and tubewells of Village Sehraul along with effluent discharged by the unit. From analysis of samples, it was revealed that unit had not installed additional Effluent Treatment Plant of 1000 Kilo litre per day capacity and also did not submit time bound remediation plan with PERT chart.
He said that the samples collected by the technical team of four tubewells and two soil samples of M/s Munjal Showa Ltd. were found containing excessive Hexavalent chromium. The tubewells of Village Sehraul were also containing excessive Hexavalent chromium. Although the present discharge of the unit through outlet of Effluent Treatment Plant were not found containing Hexavalent chromium. The team reported that the unit had in the past discharged untreated effluent containing Hexavalent chromium through borewells which has resulted in ground water contamination in the surrounding areas as is evident from the results of tubewell samples and soil samples of M/s Munjal Showa Ltd., Gurgaon. No concrete steps were taken by the unit for removal of Hexavalent chromium from the underground water of the surrounding affected area. Consequently the unit was closed by the Board on 31.12.2009.
The spokesman said that M/s Munjal Showa Ltd, submitted an undertaking on 6.1.2010 along with affidavit giving time bound action plan for remediation of under ground water for removal of Hexavalent chromium alongwith PERT chart and time schedule to complete all the work related to remediation upto 31.3.2012. The Board did not accept the proposal of the unit and directed them vide letter dated 7.1.2010 to give stage wise progress indicators to be achieved and to prepare PERT chart and verifiable progress indicators in the form of an affidavit for removal of Hexavalent chromium in the underground water of surrounding affected area.
He said that the unit submitted revised PERT chart with verifiable progress indicators along with remediation plan for removal of Hexavalent chromium vide their affidavit/ undertaking dated 8.1.2010 with time targeted plan to remove Hexavalent chromium 25% by 31.3.2010, 50% by 30.6.2010, 75% by 30.9.2010 and 100% by 31.12.2010 along with under taking for proportionate forfeiture of bank guarantee of Rs. 5 crore in case of non-compliance. M/s Munjal Showa Ltd. was also directed to supply fresh drinking water to the people of Village Sehraul and affected surrounding areas through tankers till the Hexavalent chromium is removed from the under ground water of affected surrounding areas.
Based on the above undertaking and recommendations of the Regional Officer Gurgaon, the closure order was suspended with certain conditions including above said directions. The unit was also suggested to contact the Central Pollution Control Board for adopting latest advanced technology for removal of Hexavalent chromium from the underground water of affected surrounding area. The latest technology of injecting micro- organisms for reduction of Hexavalent chromium in underground water had been tried by the Central Pollution Control Board at Kanpur where such contamination was found, in consultation with US EPA. The trained micro-organisms were procured from Japan. These micro organisms have the potential to reduce Hexavalent Chromium in the sub soil water. Continuous supply of water to the villagers of Village Sehraul is being ensured by the Board besides compliance of above directions issued to the unit.
The Board is taking stringent action against defaulter units in all such cases and ordered closure of 197 units under the Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 and 212 units under the Air (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 during the year 2008-09 and more than 105 units under the Water Act and 80 units under the Air Act during 2009-10. Haryana State Pollution Control Board is endeavoring for providing clean and pollution free environment to the citizen of the State, he added.