Pollution Control Board: Assam (PCBA) To Keep Tabs On Drawing of River Water

GUWAHATI: The ‘consent condition’ for industrial units drawing water from rivers is in for a review in Assam, in sync with elsewhere in the country. In a notification issued recently, the Pollution Control Board: Assam (PCBA) has asked all industrial units in Assam drawing water from rivers to ‘release 15 to 20% of the flow of the river for further usage by the downstream users, including villages’. The notification has also made it clear that the ‘Consent to Operate shall not be continued to the industry which violates the condition mentioned above’.

The PCBA has sent copies of the ‘Consent Condition’ to the Commissioner and Secretary to the Government of Assam, Environment and Forest Department and all deputy commissioners of the State for the favour of information.

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has completed a study of six river basins – Siang, Twang, Bichom, Subansiri, Dibang and Lohit. After the study, the ministry has recommended the minimum flow of the river to be 18 per cent of the average lean season flow. However, in some cases, it has been stated to be even 20 per cent.

This notification issued by the PCBA is a follow-up of the recent judgment pronounced by the Green Tribunal on the river Ganga. The Tribunal directed that ‘20 per cent minimum environment flow is to be maintained from Haridwar onwards on the basis of the average lean season flow. “In the light of the above and the clear stand taken by the Ministry, we (the Green Tribunal) direct that all the rivers of the country shall maintain minimum 15% to 20% of the average lean season flow. However, whichever State is unable to adhere to this average percentage, in that case we grant liberty to that State Government to move the Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change who shall, in consultation with the Ministry of Water Resources, examine such a representation and if it is desirable to fix any lower percentage than the percentage aforestated.”

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