Maharashtra Pollution Control Board cracks down on chemical units

The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) has its guns set on the chemical factories at the Lote Parshuram industrial area in Chiplun. These factories, which are blatantly violating environment protection norms, have been issued show cause notice for allegedly polluting water at the Borje dam near Khed. The MPCB issued notices to 25 chemical companies after they polluted the dam, which is a source of drinking water for people of Khed and other villages in the vicinity. In the last week of December 2009, people in the area woke up to heavy chemical contamination in the dam; following which the authorities were forced to drain out the entire water. Later, a special team from the MPCB visited the spot for a survey. “The team collected samples from the chemical factories in the area for analysis. After that the show cause notices were issued,” Valsa Nair, environment secretary, said. The investigations carried out by the MPCB team revealed various violations of environment protection norms. “The companies have not complied with the prescribed norms. The notices are given for compliance within a week or closing down operations,” Nair added.   According to a MPCB official, the dam water would be unfit for consumption for at least another year.