- The Government is committed to encourage sustained development of industries along with the maintenance of ecological and environmental balances. The distilleries are one of the 17 categories of polluting industries and the development of such industries should be consistent with the maintenance of the environment and ecology which includes water, air, land and the inter-relationship which exist among and between water, air and land, human beings, other living creatures, plants, micro organism and property. The pollutants created out of distilleries such as solids, liquids, gaseous substance present in such concentrations of pollutants should not be injurious to environment and ecology.
- The effluent generated shall be collected, treated and disposed in such a manner so as not to harm the environment.
- The distillery shall make the lagoons and tanks impervious by providing lining with concrete/stone masonry/stone slabs.
- Scientifically designed closed Digestors shall be provided to extract Methane gas from the concentrated effluents with a view to convert the same into energy. Methane gas generated shall not be let out into atmosphere.
The distillery shall ensure efficient separation of yeast sludge from the spent wash before allowing it to the treatment systems.
The yeast sludge shall be collected in impervious tanks, treated and disposed in such manner so as not to cause environmental pollution.
After methane recovery, the effluents have to be treated in properly designed secondary treatment systems to ensure treatment of effluents to the stipulated standards.
Although, no definite standards are prescribed for colour,its presence is aesthetically unacceptable. Hence all efforts should be made to reduce colour from the effluents. - Incineration of effluent shall be practiced when insisted by the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board taking into consideration the vulnerability of the location of the distillery to avoid adverse impact on environment.
- The treatment plants may be established for treating the inorganic and organic effluents separately, with a view to make the treatment of effluents more purposeful and effective.
- The distillery shall provide sufficient number of impervious lagoons of proper size for storage of finally treated effluent to facilitate safe and planned disposal.
- Discharge of treated effluents into streams, rivers, tanks and other surface water bodies is prohibited.
-
Composting of effluents after proper preliminary treatment could be permitted under the following circumstances:-
i) Sugar Mills(s) are located nearby to the distillery for supply of filler materials such as press-mud, baggasse pith etc.
ii)Large area of land is available near the distillery and is not a limiting factor.
iii)The ground water table at the composting site is not too high.
iv)The land available for composting is away from habitated area.
v)The distillery ensures proper disposal of composted material for safe agricultural operations.
vi)Distillery produces necessary certificates from the Agricultural Scientist / Agricultural Department about the suitability of the application of composted material for agricultural purposes.
- The distilleries shall possess large extent of land to irrigate the same out of the treated effluents. Whenever the treated effluent is used for agriculture, the application of effluent should be controlled to avoid flooding on land or ground water pollution. Test wells should be dug in the periphery and in the middle of the land keeping in view the ground water movement to monitor seepage of effluent into underground strata. Necessary corrective steps shall be taken immediately upon noticing such seepage under intimation to Karnataka State Pollution Control Board.
- The distilleries shall not store the effluents in pervious valleys and lagoons or no bare earth, as it will pollute both surface and underground waters. Such actions of the Occupiers of the distilleries will lead to prosecution in addition to the stoppage of all services such as electricity, water etc. The consent applications for such industries shall be automatically treated as rejected.
- The use of plastic sheets for lining of lagoons, tanks etc., is not permitted [The plastic sheets under the heavy weight of the effluent and the chemicals, organic and inorganic effluents will give way to wear and tare and may give room for percolation of the effluents into underground water].
- The distilleries shall ensure effective operation and maintenance of the effluent treatment systems and shall employ qualified and experienced Environmental Engineers/Scientists for this purpose. The distilleries shall upgrade the existing system as and when the new techniques are available.
- Every new distillery and those proposed to be expanded shall submit Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report and Environment Management plan (EMP). For this purpose, remote sensing technology could be utilised.
- The maximum quantity of water consumed by the distillery shall not exceed 15 cubic meters per kilo litre of alcohol produced.
- A fully equipped laboratory with latest equipments shall be established for the purpose of monitoring the performance of pollution control systems, and to test effluents, emissions, soil etc., for all the relevant pollution parameters.
- Water meters shall be installed to measure the water consumed by the industry for different purposes as per the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Cess Act, 1977.
- Continuous and un-interrupted power supply shall be ensured to run the pollution control systems and separate energy meters installed.
- Environment Statement Report shall be furnished regularly for the financial year ending 31st March, in the prescribed form on or before 30th September every year beginning 1993.
- The standards for the distillery trade effluents as per schedule appended, have to be complied with strictly.
