Lok Sabha Question No. 2530 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-08-04
Subject: Environmental Violations by Coal Mining, Sponge‑iron and Steel Units in Giridih
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Shri Chandra Prakash Choudhary

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2530

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 04.08.2025

## Environmental Violations by Coal Mining, Sponge-iron and Steel Units in Giridih

## 2530.   SHRI CHANDRA PRAKASH CHOUDHARY:

Will  the  Minister  of ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND  CLIMATE  CHANGE  be  pleased  to state:

- (a) whether the Government/Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) is aware of environmental violations by coal mining, sponge-iron and steel units in Giridih, such as  persistent  industrial  air  and  water  pollution  emissions  of  smoke,  soot,  dust  and contamination  of  groundwater  and  rivers  caused  by  dozens  of  sponge-iron,  ferro-alloy and rolling mills around Giridih;
- (b) if so, the concrete actions taken by the Government/CPCB to address this issue;
- (c) whether any environmental or health impact assessments have been conducted regarding air quality degradation, water contamination in local rivers and groundwater, respiratory illnesses, soil degradation or crop damage in affected communities;
- (d) if  so,  the  principal  findings,  including  levels  of  pollution  detected,  health  statistics  and ecological impacts; and
- (e) the details of the additional measures  are being implemented  to strengthen the enforcement of environmental norms in Giridih's industrial and mining units, safeguard public health and provide relief or rehabilitation to affected residents?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

(SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH)

## (a) to (e)

Sponge iron, induction furnace and rolling mill are the major industries in the villages of Gadi Srirampur,  Mohanpur,  Udnabad,  Phulchi,  in  Giridih  District.  The  Jharkhand  State  Pollution Control  Board  (JSPCB)  regularly  inspects  the  industrial  units  of  the  state.  In  the  year  2025, JSPCB inspected 07 Sponge  Iron units to assess their  pollution  control  systems.  Letters  were issued to 07 industrial units for violations of improper solid waste management/ submission of CAAQMS data/ display  of environmental  data.  The  sponge  iron  industries  located  in  Giridih have installed Electrostatic Precipitator (ESP) device on the rotary kiln and bag filters on other dust  emitting  sources.  Water  sprinkling  is  regularly  done  by  fixed  water  sprinkler  and  water tanker. These industrial units are equipped with Online Continuous Emission Monitoring System (OCEMS)  which  is  connected  to  the  server  of  JSPCB  and  Central  Pollution  Control  Board (CPCB). PM10 analyzers are also installed by the industries to monitor ambient air quality, and these  are  connected  to  JSPCB  and  CPCB  servers.  Regular  directions  are  issued  to  noncomplying  units.  The  Giridih  District  Environmental  Committee,  in  its  meetings,  regularly directs various industrial units to abate pollution. Ambient Air Quality Monitoring reports (for parameters  RSPM,  SO2  and  NOx)  carried  out  near  Tiranga  Chowk,  Giridih  from  January  to March 2025, shows that the pollutant concentrations is within the prescribed standards.

The  Government  has  made  it  mandatory  to  obtain  Environmental  Clearance  (EC)  before commencement  of  Coal  Mining,  Sponge Iron Plant and Steel Plant  under  the  Environment Impact  Assessment  Notification,  2006  from  Ministry  of Environment,  Forest and  Climate Change (MoEFCC)/ State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA). In this regard a detailed Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) is carried out and comprehensive Environment Management Plan (EMP) with all safeguards is to be submitted. The EIA/EMP is deliberated in detail by the Environmental Appraisal Committee (EAC) of MoEF&CC / State Environmental Appraisal Committee (SEAC) of State Government, before issuance of EC.

In  addition,  all  the  above  mentioned  units  have  to  obtain  Consent  to  Establish  (CTE)  and Consent to Operate (CTO) from State Pollution Control Boards (SPCB). These Environmental Permits stipulate all necessary conditions including mitigation measures to protect the environment.

The stipulated  conditions  of  EC/CTO/CTE and the mitigation measures  proposed in EMP are necessarily  complied  to  maintain  the  appropriate  environmental  standards  in  and  around  unit premises.  Comprehensive  environmental  monitoring  mechanism,  for  assessing  the  efficacy  of mitigation measures, is undertaken as prescribed in the Environment (Protection) Act & Rules and EC conditions. The compliance report is submitted to regulatory agencies on routine basis by the project proponent.

The MoEFCC notifies 'Standards for Emission or Discharge of Environmental Pollutants from various Industries' under Schedule-I of the Environment Protection Rules, 1986.

-  The Environmental Standards for coal mines has been notified by MoEFCC vide G.S.R. 742(E), dated 25.9.2000,
-  Environmental Standards for Sponge Iron Plant has been notified vide G.S.R. 414(E) on 30.05.2008
-  Environmental Standards for Iron & Steel Plant has been notified vide G.S.R. 277(E) on 31.03.2012.

The Environmental Standards are enforced by SPCB through consent mechanism and monitoring on  time  to  time  basis.  Further,  Central  Pollution  Control  Board  (CPCB)  has  directed  all  17 categories of high pollution potential industries (including Sponge Iron Plants and Steel Plant) and  common  waste  treatment  facilities to install Online  Continuous  Effluent/  Emission Monitoring Systems (OCEMS) for strengthening monitoring mechanism and effective compliance through self-regulatory mechanism and constant vigil on pollution levels. Real-time values of environmental pollutants of trade effluent and emissions generated through OCEMS are transmitted online to concerned SPCB/PCC and CPCB on 24x7 basis. The data is processed at  CPCB and if  the  value  of  pollutant  parameter  exceeds  prescribed  environmental  norms,  an automatic SMS alert is generated and sent to industrial unit, SPCB and CPCB, so that corrective measures  can  be  taken  by  the  industry  immediately  and  appropriate  action  can  be  taken  by concerned SPCB/PCC/CPCB.

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