Gujarat's Deep Sea Effluent Treatment System Hangs Fire

On the other hand, the government believes that the DSD will provide long-term relief to small and large industries, and keep the river free from pollution. The sustainability angle has been given ample weightage.

The DSD project was proposed in 2019 after the National Green Tribunal (NGT) ordered the government to take necessary steps to protect the Sabarmati river. Various technical and administrative hurdles prevented the project from going ahead, but now the government has decided to go ahead with the consent of industry representatives.

The state industries minister had said in a meeting that the initial cost of the project was Rs 1,800 crore, but due to the Kalpasar scheme — to create a freshwater lake for irrigation, drinking water and industrial use — the project cost has increased to Rs 5,000 crore. As a result, the government has now decided to reduce the pipeline capacity from 350 MLD (million litres per day) to 200 MLD.

Reuse Of Urban Wastewater A Necessity

NITI Aayog believes that reuse of urban wastewater is not only an environmental necessity but also an economic one. If steps are not taken now, it is feared that water scarcity could cause many problems by 2050. The Chief Minister has also said, "I appeal to the chemical industry to find a way to prevent the pollution of chemical-rich water from spreading to the rivers."

For the last 30 years, the Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) has been receiving support in Gujarat. While the industrialists, worried by the closure notices issued by the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB), are investing in the CETP plant, its operators were put in a dilemma when the government suddenly started considering DSD.

At present, the cost to existing zero liquid discharge (ZLD) operators is 12 paise per litre, while the cost of the older CETP system is only two paise per litre. Now that the government is introducing an expensive system like DSD, the cost of the new system will be much higher.

Representatives of various industrial estates are in touch with the government, but they fear the industries will suffer financially until the new system is ready. They are also organising themselves to submit proposals to the government.

An industry leader, wishing to remain anonymous, said, ”If a company hasn’t built mixing chambers that it was asked to do, we wish to begin making them for compliance.” He added, “We would even be ready to expand to the outskirts of the city and completely migrate for compliance.”

Another industry leader, wishing to remain anonymous, said, “We need a level-playing field for our companies to compete globally, for which solutions need to be clarified in the present instead of the future.”

In this situation, Gujarat's industrial economy is in a mode where it has become necessary to maintain a balance between environmental sustainability and economic growth. The regulatory changes made by the government will depend on how far this shift goes and how much industry groups agree.

One experienced administrator said that while the government sees the possibility of new investment in chemical clusters with this change, the industrial estates have not yet decided whether to join the government or continue with the existing system. Their eyes are on the policymakers.