The Regional Pollution Control Board has issued notices to 25 tannery owners in Jajmau, Kanpur after wastewater samples from their units failed to meet prescribed environmental standards. The board has also sent a detailed report to the State Pollution Control Board headquarters for further action.
Laboratory tests found that chromium levels in wastewater discharged from the 25 tanneries were nearly 3 times higher than the permissible limit.
Officials also found that the Total Suspended Solids control system was not working effectively in some units, confirming that untreated polluted water was being released from the factories.
Based on these findings, the Pollution Control Board served notices to the tannery owners. During the past 7 days, the board has issued notices to a total of 44 tanneries.
On July 1, wastewater samples from around a dozen tanneries also failed laboratory testing. Officials also found that 7 tanneries were operating without obtaining the mandatory consent letters from the department.
During the inspection drive, officials found 274 tanneries operational, while 6 units were self-closed, 20 were non operational and 47 had been dismantled.
