Meghalaya Issues Closure Notice to Byrnihat Industrial Unit Over Severe Pollution Violations

Shillong: In a decisive move to enforce environmental regulations and protect public health, the Principal Secretary of Forest and Environment, Sampath Kumar,  along with senior officials from the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board (MSPCB), conducted a thorough inspection of an industrial unit in Byrnihat, Meghalaya, on Tuesday. The inspection was carried out in response to repeated non-compliance by the industrial unit with the directives issued by the MSPCB.

During the inspection, it was found that the industrial unit did not have a proper designated meter for the Pollution Control Device (PCD), raising serious concerns about the effectiveness of its pollution control measures.

Furthermore, the inspection revealed that the PM2.5 level was alarmingly high, recorded at 64.2 µg/m3. Typically, air quality is considered unhealthy when the PM2.5 level exceeds 35 µg/m³ over 24 hours.

It may be that MSPCB had previously issued multiple directions to the industrial unit, mandating the control of particulate matter (PM 10 and PM 2.5), sulphur dioxide (SO2), and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) emissions within prescribed limits to prevent environmental pollution and associated health risks to the nearby human population.

Despite these directives, the industrial unit failed to implement the necessary measures, including the proper operation of the pollution control device (PCD) and the installation of the Online Continuous Emission Monitoring System (OCEMS) in all stacks.  As a result of these violations, the MSPCB has issued a closure notice to the pollution-emitting industries found during the inspection, effectively halting their operations until full compliance with environmental regulations is achieved.

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