Meghalaya Pollution Board clears Byrnihat ethanol plant after inspection
Meghalaya’s Pollution Control Board found no emission violations at Umiam Distillation’s ethanol and distillery unit in Byrnihat after a June 29 inspection. Particulate emissions met standards, pollution-control systems functioned properly, and authorities pledged continued monitoring in pollution-hit Byrnihat under the NCAP.
Shillong: The Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board (MSPCB) on Tuesday said an inspection of an ethanol and distillery unit in Byrnihat found no breach of prescribed emission standards, addressing concerns raised over alleged pollution from the facility.
The inspection was launched after social media posts claimed the unit was contributing to pollution in Byrnihat, which was identified as the world’s most polluted metropolitan area in the 2024 World Air Quality Report, PTI reported.
According to the MSPCB, its task force carried out a suo motu inspection of M/s Umiam Distillation Pvt Ltd, located at the Export Promotion Industrial Park (EPIP), Byrnihat, on June 29 without waiting for a formal complaint.
During the visit, officials conducted source-emission monitoring and assessed parameters including particulate matter (PM), stack velocity, differential pressure and temperature.
The board said particulate matter levels recorded during the inspection remained well within the limits permitted under the unit’s Consent to Operate (CTO).
It added that the plant’s pollution-control infrastructure was found operational, including an Electrostatic Precipitator installed for the captive power plant and a Multi-Effect Evaporator integrated with a Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) system for the distillery unit.
Officials also collected samples of raw and treated effluents for laboratory testing. The board said the liquid discharge treatment system was functioning and treated water was being reused in the cooling tower.
Byrnihat, an industrial town on the Meghalaya-Assam border, came under focus after being ranked as the world’s most polluted metropolitan area in the 2024 report released by Swiss air quality monitoring firm IQAir earlier this year.
Following that report, the Meghalaya government intensified inspections and enforcement measures against polluting industries, shut down several non-compliant red-category units, strengthened compliance checks and expanded ambient air quality monitoring.
The MSPCB said Byrnihat, identified as a non-attainment town under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), continues to remain under constant monitoring and that multiple industries violating norms have been ordered to close over the past two years.
The board said it remains attentive to public health concerns and will continue monitoring and enforcement efforts in Byrnihat in a transparent and sustained manner.
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Source : ChiniMandi
