Green tribunal wants independent study on pollution from cane crushers
The Tribunal was hearing a plea by Sahranpur resident Anil Kumar, who had moved the green court for bringing out norms and regulations for preventing abating pollution from cane crushers.
Even as the Environment Ministry has notified norms to control pollution from sugar industries, a judgment of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has indicated that there will have to be separate norms for cane crushers, traditionally known as ‘Kohlus’. Recently, the Tribunal passed a judgment that the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) should carry out studies on the pollution generated by cane crushers, that are widely used in the major cane producing states of Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.
The Tribunal was hearing a plea by Sahranpur resident Anil Kumar, who had moved the green court for bringing out norms and regulations for preventing abating pollution from cane crushers. In its submissions to the Tribunal, CPCB favoured the applicant’s stand for regulations. It said that there is a need for monitoring and assessment of Kohlus by State Pollution Control Board for reducing pollution. It added that the cane crushers produce large quantities of hazardous gases and also contribute in increasing the suspended particulate matter, as well as temperature of the concerned area.
The Tribunal noted that as per the Indian Sugarcane Manufacturing Association (ISMA), between 2010 and 2015 an average of 1296 lakh MT of cane was crushed and of that 31.6 per cent of 409.4 lakh MT was crushed using Kohlus. Further, it noted that in western and central Uttar Pradesh, around 5000 crushers are used.
The Tribunal has thus asked CPCB and Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) to carry out an independent study on cane crushers, the pollutants they release and their consequences on the environment.