Noida: Following complaints that industries were discharging untreated waste into drains by keeping effluent treatment plants (ETPs) switched off, the GB Nagar administration has directed all water-polluting industries to obtain separate electricity connections for their ETPs so that their functioning can be monitored through power consumption data.District magistrate Medha Roopam said the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) has been tasked with ensuring compliance and preparing a list of all industries connected to drains and rivers in the district.“Companies will now be required to obtain separate electricity connections for their ETPs. Every industrialist must strictly adhere to water pollution norms,” Roopam said.Officials said the move is aimed at strengthening surveillance on industrial discharge into drains linked to the Hindon and Yamuna rivers. According to the administration, if electricity consumption recorded on an ETP meter is found to be unusually low, the treatment plant may be presumed nonfunctional, prompting further inspection.The administration will also examine purchase bills, GST records and other documents related to chemicals used by industries to verify whether treatment systems are being operated properly.A UPPCB official said all water-polluting industries in GB Nagar have ETPs installed. “There are around 150 such industries across the district, of which nearly 65 are in Greater Noida alone. Directions regarding separate electricity connections for ETPs have been issued and compliance is awaited,” the official said.Officials said no industry directly discharges wastewater into the Hindon River. However, industrial effluent reaches the river through connected drains.
