Hotels, industries without sewage treatment plants to be penalised

Visakhapatnam: The AP Pollution Control Board (APPCB) is to keep an eye on establishments including hotels, industries and hospitals that are flouting environmental norms, especially related to setting up of effluent and sewage treatment plants in the city. Following the orders of the Supreme Court in February directing the pollution control board to disconnect power supply to those industries, hospitals and hotels which are operating without having any effluent and sewage treatment plants, the APPCB is expected to form inspection teams in the coming days to ensure that such establishments follow the environmental norms.“Many of the hotels and hospitals already have installed sewage treatment plants. But the problem is that the capacity is not sufficient in some of them to treat the entire sewage. So, we will be keeping an eye on such hotels, hospitals and industries to make sure that all the waste water is treated before being discharged,” APPCB environmental engineer R Lakshminarayana told TOI. He said the APPCB will form two to three teams and collect samples randomly to determine if the environmental norms are being followed by the establishments.“We have asked the establishments to follow the norms and we have given them time till May 21. We hope that it is followed by all to avoid any disconnection of power or cancellation of consent for operation,” he added.APPCB sources said about five to six star hotels in the city have capacity which are yet to be enhanced to match the required levels and about 15 hospitals in the city will also have to construct the STPs to treat the sewage. The sources said the hospitals which have recently started operating from the health city at Arilova will also have to opt for constructing treatment plants as APIIC is yet to construction a common effluent treatment plant for the hospitals.The Supreme Court in February directed the pollution control board to disconnect power supply to those industries, hospitals and hotels which are operating without having any effluent and sewage treatment plants