CUTTACK: The alleged pollution of Mahanadi river caused by untreated waste water discharged by a rice mill at Padampur Tukuda in Boudh district has come under the NGT scanner.
A three-member fact finding committee constituted on Thursday has been asked to submit its report within four weeks. The committee includes senior scientists from Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) and Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) and district collector Boudh or his representative not below the rank of additional district magistrate.
Kishore Kumar Meher, a Boudh-based social worker, had alleged that the rice mill with a production capacity of 21 MT per hour was operating in two shifts of eight hours each.
Nearly 336 MT of waste water generated at the rate of 1.3 cubic metre per tonne was being discharged into the adjoining Bandhamunda Nalla. The untreated waste water was finding its way into the Mahanadi river as the nalla flows into it at Nuapali, about 2 km away, the petition alleged.
Solid waste as well as the husk ash dumped outside the mill also caused air pollution, the petition added.
The bench of B Amit Sthalekar (Judicial Member) and Arun Kumar Verma (Expert Member) constituted the fact finding committee to visit the site and submit its report within four weeks.
