PPCB, agri, soil and water conservation officials to form team to enforce law Amritsar, July 20 The district administration has instructed the officials of agriculture, soil and water conservation departments and the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) to constitute a team to check reverse boring. Deputy Commissioner (DC) Kamaldeep Singh Sangha said, “The team will investigate the matter not only in cities but also in rural areas. There is a possibility that some people might be doing this and if it is happening, it is very dangerous for the health of the people.”He said criminal cases would be registered against the errants who resort to reverse boring to dispose of industrial waste. According to the DC, even the old and unused tube well bores in rural areas would be identified as these could be used to dispose of the waste water into ground. While boring is done to lift underground water, the reverse boring concept deals with the procedure of disposing of polluted water into the ground by drilling a deep hole into the ground. As the waste water gets mixed with ground water in the same trench which is also being used to draw water for drinking, it can result in health hazards. According to officials, only rainwater can be drained into the ground through rainwater harvesting system. An official of the Punjab Pollution Control Board said, “Earlier, a few industrial units had installed rainwater harvesting system, but the department later asked them to close these as waste water could be accidently or knowingly discharged into the ground.” The city has four kinds of industrial units — dying (around 25 in number), paper mills (six), nickel units (90), and wire drying units. PPCB Environmental Engineer Jaswant Singh said, “Most of the units have their own water treatment plant and a few of them even have permission to discharge treated water into the drain. Industrial units are under a constant watch. There is no possibility for industrialists to resort to reverse boring.” However, the possibility of violation by commercial establishments on the outskirts of the city with no sewerage lines and enough vacant land to dispose of effluents cannot be ruled out, said an official of the district administration.

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