Shimla: The Himachal Pradesh State Pollution Control Board (HPSPCB) has issued a show-cause notice to the District Industries Centre (DIC), Mandi, after an inspection linked a sewage leak to fish mortality in Ratti Khad in the district’s Balh Valley.The Pollution Control Board action follows a complaint by Kapil Thakur, a local. He had alleged heavy accumulation of slurry and large-scale fish deaths in the water body.A joint inspection conducted on Thursday by officials of the Pollution Control Board, the fisheries department, the industries department, panchayat representatives and the locals found that dead fish had been floating in the rivulet for the last two or three days.During the inspection, officials discovered that a sewage chamber connected to a septic tank in the industrial area was overflowing, while damaged connections resulted in untreated sewage being discharged directly into the khad.The sewage was found stagnating in the stream. Water samples were also collected from upstream and downstream locations for laboratory analysis.The show-cause notice stated that the discharge constituted a gross violation of the provisions of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, and the Environment Protection Act, 1986.The Pollution Control Board directed the DIC to immediately stop the discharge and ensure proper treatment and disposal of sewage from the industrial area within three days.The notice warned that failure to comply could invite penal action under environmental laws and the imposition of environmental compensation.Earlier this week, residents raised an alarm after spotting dead fish and slurry accumulation in the Ratti Khad.MSID:: 131686476 413 |
