REPORT

ON

ENVIRONMENT STATUS

OF
COOCH BEHAR
REGION

2
 INDEX

Sr No Title Page Numbers

1 Introduction 3

2 Cooch Behar Area 5

3 Water Environment 10

4 Industrial Pollution & Control Measures 11

5 Domestic Pollution & Control Measures 15

6 Air Environment 20

7 Hazardous Waste Management 24

8 BMW & MSW Management 25

9 Plastic & Battery Management 31

10 Environmental Improvement Programme 32

3
 1. INTORDUCTION

West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) is a statutory authority entrusted to

implement environmental laws and rules within the jurisdiction of the state of West
Bengal, India. WBPCB was constituted immediately after the enactment of the first
major environmental legislation of the country, the Water (Prevention and Control of
Water Pollution) Act, 1974. During its twenty-eight years of life, the Board tried its
best to ensure proper implementation of the statutes, judicial and legislative
pronouncements and to fulfill the needs of the people. Initially set up to implement
the provisions of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974,
subsequently, WBPCB was given the responsibility of implementing a series of other
environmental Acts and Rules
W.B. P. C. B. is now implementing following environmental legislation in the state
such as -
1. Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974
2. Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981
3. Environmental (Protection) Act, 1986 and the rules made there
under like:-
 Environmental Impact Assessment Notification, 1994 &
amendment there under
 Coastal Zone Regulation, 1991
 Hazardous Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 1989 &
amendment in 2003
 Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules, 2016
 Municipal Solid Waste (Handling & management) Rules, 2016
 Solid Waste Management Rule , 2016
 Recycled Plastic Manufacture and Usage( Amended) Rules,
2003
 Fly ash Utilization Notification, 1999 etc.

The Environmental Status Report of Wet Bengal region is prepared, which covers
the background status, efforts towards effective implementation of above
enactments and thereby present status of environment as regards to water, air,
solid waste, hazardous waste and Bio-medical waste management.

4
 Industrial Development:-

West Bengal Industrial development basically based in the area of Kolkata,

Haldia , Durgapur , Assansol , Kalyani and allover North Bengal area is highly
urbanized & most of the industries are located in mix area. As such, no buffer zone
is provided. Mainly Jute Textiles, Dyes, Fertilizer, Tannery, Tea, Iron & Steel ,
Cement, Thermal power, Oil refineries and Pharmaceuticals large & medium scale
unit are operational in West Bengal. The SSI unit such as Engineering, Chemical,
Pharmaceutical, Electronic, Electrical etc are also located in industrial estates &
other area in the jurisdiction. Due to ban on expansion in Kolkata Metropolitan
area & recession, Tannery have shifted to adjoining area or closing down their
operations in city area. The land use pattern also changing & converted in to
residential/ commercial complex.

5
 In order to avoid the further deterioration of air/water quality in Kolkata, the
Govt. of West Bengal has banned establishment of new polluting industries in Kolkata city
and suburban areas. Obviously, the industrial activities have been shifted to adjacent
districts, i.e. Hoogly , Howrah, Midnapur, Naia, Burdwan, Bankura , Asansol, Purulia &
North-Bengal & other districts.
As per data available, there are about 75 nos. of industries in WBIIDC ,
Chakchaka , Cooch Behar . The categories of industries are presented as under:
Table 2:- CATEGORISATION OF INDUDUSTRIES

District Category MSI SSI TOTAL

Cooch RED 2 2

Behar(WBII ORANGE 5 62 67

DC) GREEN 1 5 6

TOTAL 8 67 75

MSI : Medium Scale Industries.

SSI : Small Scale Industries.

2. Cooch Behar Industrial Area:

Cooch Behar West Bengal:

Cooch Behar has made a tremendous progress in the field of industrial development with the
establishment of most sophisticated Downstream Haldia Projects. Cold Drawing steel plants &
casting units are in operation in the district recently. Units for Unconventional & Industrially used
products are now being constructed in the area .The industries in Cooch Behar, instead of being an
independent one are the subsidiary units supporting the industries with the raw materials and the
processing of their finished products.

Major Exportable Item

Principal cereals like pulses and processed food (mainly to neighbor ingcountries)

Growth Trend

Industrial projects implemented in the district

Year No.of Units Invt. (InCr.)

2008 - -
2009 - -
2010 1 5.21

Source: Economic Review,2011-12,WestBengal 6

Vendorisation /Ancillarisation of the Industry

 The district is yet to have a strong industrial base especially in the area of large
and medium sector which can provide ancillary status to the small scale industries .Hence,
selection of ancillaries and their development will hardly extend any leverage to the overall
process of industrialization in the district.

MediumScaleEnterprises

List of the units in Cooch Behar & Near By Area

Sl.No. Nameofunits
1 Subline Agro Ltd.
2 Bhoraject Agro Pvt.Ltd., Sikharpur
3 T.B.Company Agro Pvt.Ltd., Jamalda
4 ESESEMJuteTwines,
5 Kamakashi Jute Industries,
6 ESS Plywood,
7 Deepa Castings Pvt. Ltd.
8 Poddar Food Products Pvt.Ltd.
9 S.A Plywood industry
10 Tirupati Plywood Industry

7
 ServiceEnterprises

Sl.No Name&LocationoftheCold Storage

1 Sri Mahamaya AgroIndustry (P)Ltd., Dinhata.

2 Sree Madan Mohan Cold Storage(P)Ltd., Sonary
3 Mathabhanga Agri Storage, Ghoksadanga
4 Tufangunj Samabay Himghar Samity,Tufangunj
5 Sree Rameswar Himghar (P)Ltd., Chamta,Tufangunj
6 Manasi Agro Industries(P)Ltd., Sitkibari, Nisigunj
7 Sonali Agrotech(P)Ltd., Dewanhat
8 Mahima ColdStorage (P)Ltd., Chakchaka.
9 Kaljani Himghar Kholta
10 Goswami Agro Storage(P)Ltd., Bairagirhat
11 Joy Taramaa ColdStorage (P)Ltd., Patlakhawa
12 Cooch-Behar Samabay Himghar Samity Ltd.,Cooch-Behar

Potential areas for service industry

Potential places are Dinhata,Toofangunj,Mathabhanga,Haldibari,Mekhligunj.

Cold Storage development in the area.

8
 i) GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES: - The Geographical features of Mumbai area
mentioned in Table 3. The city is divided into two revenue districts i.e. Mumbai Island &
Mumbai sub-urban

Location & Geographical Area:

The district lies between 2557’40” and 2632’20” North latitude and between
8847’40” and 8954’35” East longitude.
The district is surrounded by Jalpailguri District in the North, Goalpara District of
Assam and Rangpur district of Bangladesh in the East and International Boundary of
Bangladesh in South & West.
A short table showing the geographical location of the district of Cooch Behar is
furnished below:-

Nameofthedistrict Latitude Longitude

North South East West

Cooch-Behar 2632’20” 2557’40” 8954’35” 8847’40”
N N E E

9
Topography:
The district being crisscrossed with a number of rivers and rivulets. The principal rivers of
the district are Teesta, Torsa, Jaldhaka, Dharla, Mansai, Kaljani, Raidhak, Gadadhar and
Sankosh. Among other small rivers are Sutanga,Khotamara, Giridari, Gilandi, Dudua,
Dolong, Mujnai etc.

ii) Due to fast pace of industrial development coupled with urbanization,

the Cooch Behar City becomes a premier national & international Business Centre
in North East India. Cooch Behar is the fastest growing & has witnessed a
phenomenon growth of Industrial & business centre alike. Good Infrastructure
facility provided by State Government & local body has added to the prosperity of
Cooch Behar City & its adjoining area. Also, natural sources such as Railway
network, Airways, Road transportation & recent National four lane golden
quadrilateral Road, ample electricity & water supply have also added to the ever
growing prosperity of city.

10
 iii) CLIMATE:

Cooch Behar has a moderate climate characterised by heavy rainfall during the
monsoons and slight rainfall from October to March. The city does not experience
very high temperatures at any time of the year. The daily maximum temperature is
32.2 °C (90.0 °F) in August, the hottest month, and the daily minimum temperature
is 9.4 °C (48.9 °F) in January, the coldest month. The highest temperature in Cooch
Behar was 41.0 °C, recorded on 11 September 1977; the lowest temperature
recorded was 3.3 °C, reported on 28 January 1982. The atmosphere is highly
humid. The rainy season lasts from June to September. The average annual
rainfall in the city is 3,562 mm (140.2 in).
hideClimate data for Cooch Behar (1981–2010, extremes 1901–2012)

Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year

29.6 31.5 37.6 39.4 39.9 40.3 38.9 38.0 41.0 36.1 33.0 33.4 41.0
Record high
(85. (88. (99. (102. (103. (104. (102. (100. (105. (97. (91. (92. (105.8
°C (°F)
3) 7) 7) 9) 8) 5) 0) 4) 8) 0) 4) 1) )

Mean 27.0 29.1 34.3 33.5 31.3 28.2

35.5 35.1 35.3 34.9 35.6 34.7 36.7
maximum °C (80. (84. (93. (92. (88. (82.
(95.9) (95.2) (95.5) (94.8) (96.1) (94.5) (98.1)
(°F) 6) 4) 7) 3) 3) 8)

Mean daily 23.4 25.8 29.6 30.8 28.7 25.6

30.9 31.2 31.6 31.2 32.2 31.2 29.4
maximum °C (74. (78. (85. (87. (83. (78.
(87.6) (88.2) (88.9) (88.2) (90.0) (88.2) (84.8)
(°F) 1) 4) 3) 4) 7) 1)

16.4 18.8 22.9 25.8 22.0 18.3

Daily mean 25.4 26.7 27.8 27.9 28.6 27.5 24.0
(61. (65. (73. (78. (71. (64.
°C (°F) (77.7) (80.1) (82.0) (82.2) (83.5) (81.5) (75.2)
5) 8) 2) 4) 6) 9)

Mean daily 9.4 11.9 16.1 20.8 15.3 11.0

19.9 22.2 24.1 24.7 25.0 23.9 18.7
minimum °C (48. (53. (61. (69. (59. (51.
(67.8) (72.0) (75.4) (76.5) (77.0) (75.0) (65.6)
(°F) 9) 4) 0) 4) 5) 8)

Mean 6.7 8.6 11.6 16.6 11.8 8.1

15.9 18.9 21.3 22.5 22.7 21.3 6.5
minimum °C (44. (47. (52. (61. (53. (46.
(60.6) (66.0) (70.3) (72.5) (72.9) (70.3) (43.7)
(°F) 1) 5) 9) 9) 2) 6)

3.3 3.6 7.1 13.9 8.2 3.9

Record low 10.4 16.1 18.2 20.3 20.0 19.7 3.3
(37. (38. (44. (57. (46. (39.
°C (°F) (50.7) (61.0) (64.8) (68.5) (68.0) (67.5) (37.9)
9) 5) 8) 0) 8) 0)

164. 3,562.
Average 11.7 18.5 45.1 380.0 683.3 932.7 618.2 521.6 12.2 7.1
167.6 6 6
rainfall mm (0.4 (0.7 (1.7 (14.9 (26.9 (36.7 (24.3 (20.5 (0.4 (0.2
(6.60) (6.4 (140.2
(inches) 6) 3) 8) 6) 0) 2) 4) 4) 8) 8)
8) 6)

Average
0.8 1.4 2.5 8.6 14.0 18.0 21.2 16.6 15.4 5.8 0.9 0.7 105.7
rainy days

11
Average relat
ive
humidity (%) 70 60 53 62 71 78 81 80 83 79 73 72 72
(at
17:30 IST)

V) HERITAGE & HISTORICAL PLACES

Historical Heritage: - It has Cooch Behar boasts of its rich cultural &
historical heritage.Before 20th August 1949, Cooch Behar was a Princely State
ruled by the Kings of Cooch Behar, who had been a feudatory ruler under British
Government. By an agreement dated 20th August, 1949 the king of Cooch Behar
ceded full and extensive authority, jurisdiction and power of the state to the
Dominion Government of India. The transfer of administration of the state to the
Govt. of India came into force on 12th September, 1949. Eventually, Cooch Behar
was transferred and merged with the province of West Bengal on 19th January,
1950 and from that date Cooch Behar emerged as a new District in the
administrative map of West Bengal. However, the district of Cooch Behar had been
created with the same area and boundaries as the old state of Cooch Behar. In
course of time, Cooch Behar has been transformed from a kingdom to a State and
from a State to the present status of a district.
The name "Cooch-Behar" is derived from the name of the Koch Rajbonshi
tribe that is indigenous to this area. The word "Behar" is the Sanskrit word "Bihar"
(to travel) which means the land through which the "Koch Rajbonshi" Kings used to
travel or roam about ("Bihar").

12
13
 3. WATER ENVIRONMENT

i) Water supply-in Cooch Behar

The population of Cooch Behar in the year has reached nearly 3.5 million
with water supply requirement of about 472.5 MLD. At present, domestic,
industrial & commercial water supply catered to 465 MLD.

The PHE has provided good water supply network to residential,

commercial & industrial area. Presently all water supply schemes are having pre-
chlorination, Alum dosing, settling, filtration & post-chlorination units.

Considering the short fall in demand & supply of drinking water. PHE has
proposed additional sources of water supply.

14
 ii) Industrial Pollution & Control Measures

Pollution Control Measures adopted by large/medium/Small scale Industries

in Cooch Behar are indicated as follows.

It has been observed that majority of large, medium & SSI units have
adopted full-fledged treatment facilities & the treated water is meeting WBPCB
consented standards. Some industries have adopted novel scheme of using
treated effluent to meet their water requirement, such as-
1) M/s Kamakshi Jute Industries Ltd has provided ETP of the capacity above
25000 LPD. Sewage is taken from their Dying plant. Thus by way of treating
sewage in their ETP is recycling/ reusing the treated effluent to maximum extent
possible.

2) M/s. B

3) Madan Mohan Rice Mill has provided improved treatment system & thereby
by recycling the treated effluent by 70% (35000 LPD).

4) M/s Moder Agro Pvt Ltd is also taking required amount of sewage from
WBIIDC, treating the same in the ETP provided and reusing the same in their
operations. This firm has developed a team to motivate rain water harvesting to
the maximum extent not only in their unit but also other sectors too.

15
 All the LSI & MSI units have also provided Primary & Secondary treatment
facilities. The SSI units have mainly provided Primary treatment facilities.

The estimated quantity of industrial effluent is about 1 MLD in Greater

Cooch Behar.
In the jurisdiction, there are one No of Non-Ferrous Metal recycler units, one
unit is engaged in reprocessing of waste oil, one no of fertilizer unit & 2 nos of
textile mills approx.

Officials are visiting industries to monitor pollution control systems &

encouraging industries to upgrade systems. On the basis of monitoring Non-
complying was issued proposed directions u/s 33 of water (P & C.P.) Act, 1974 to 2
Nos. units. The industries are responding positively & upgrading the pollution
control system accordingly.

An attempt is made to indicate average treated effluent quality of few major

Industries in Cooch Behar.

AVERAGE TREATED WASTE WATER QUALITY OF FEW MAJOR INDUSTRIES

DURING 2004-05

Table 9:-
Sr Name Of Industries pH SS BOD COD
No
1 Kamakshi Jute Industries 6.92 16 20 76
Ltd
2 Madan Mohan Rice Mill 6.5 18 22 120
3 M/S Modern Agrotech 6.9 16 18 44

(Average Value in mg/lit except pH)

16
17
Ground water
Groundwater occurs under both water table and confined conditions in aquifers in depth
ranges from 2.5-304 m bgl; the shallow aquifer being tapped by dug wells while the deeper
aquifers are tapped by medium to heavy duty tube wells. Groundwater is generally being
developed through open wells i.e., dug wells, in the weathered zone and the development
and the available discharges can only meet the domestic needs but is not sufficient enough
for any large scale development of ground water. However, groundwater in the zone of
semiconfined to confined aquifers can yield 80 – 170 lpm; which at places goes as high as
350 lpm. There is slope for development of ground water through tube well. Depth to water
level in premonsoon period (2006) varies from 2 to 5.00 m bgl., whereas that post-monsoon
is from <2.00nto 5.00 m bgl.
Groundwater Quality
The chemical quality of ground water in the area is slightly acidic to slightly alkaline, the pH
varying between 6.5 – s7.8. The specific conductance varies from 66-599 µs/cm at 25˚C. All
the waters are of bi-carbonate type, i.e., the bi-carbonate content varying from 40-510 ppm.
The Chloride content varying from 35-105 ppm. Iron content in water generally varies from
0.04 – 10.2 ppm. The high content of iron in water may need removal before use both
agricultural and domestic purposes. Fluoride in water varies from 0.12 – 0.37 ppm and as
such does not create any hazard. Thus, the chemical quality of ground water in shallow and
deeper aquifers are fresh and good for both domestic and agricultural purposes.

d) Torsa River:-

In this region, there is only major River namely, Torsa River. This River is a
confluence of tail water discharges of Cooch Behar Municipal Area and WBIIDC
Industrial Area. Torsa River originates at Chumbai valley in the south Tibet at
an altitude of about 7060 metres and It joins the Brahmaputra River at
Phulchhari Upazila in Bangladesh. Flowing through a residential and industrial
complex of Cooch Bear , Dinhata, Mathabhanga and Tufangang over a distance
about 25 Kms. This river is treated like an open drain by the citizens who discharge
raw sewage, industrial waste and garbage unchecked. Beside this, illegal activities
of washing of oily drums, discharge of unauthorized hazardous waste are also
carried out along the bank of this river. The organic waste, sludge and garbage
dumping has reduced the carrying capacity of the Torsa River. The water with
sewage and industrial waste is a threat to social life and the river is showing sign of
total loss of life support system.

TABLE 20:` TEESTA & TORSA REVER

Min Max Avg

pH 6.9 7.7 7.26
COD 10 616 245.28
18
BOD 4 120 69.8
DO 2.8 6.9 6.5
(All parameters in mg/lit except pH)

19
 4. AIR ENVIRONMENT

Industrial Air Pollution

The no of consented air polluting industries are 15 Nos. The industries are
regularly monitored for its emission. During the year, 255 Nos of AAQ/source
samples collected & analyzed. The Mobile van is allotted specifically to Cooch
Behar city area only for continuous Air monitoring. The average results are given in
table

Table 23: NATIONAL AMBIENT AIR QUALITY STANDARDS

Parameters Exposure Industrial Area Residential, Sensitive area

Period Rural & Other
Area
SO2 Annual Avg 80 60 15
24 Hrs Avg II 120 80 30
NO2 Annual Avg 80 60 15
24 Hrs Avg II 120 80 30
NH3 Annual Avg 100 100 100
24 Hrs Avg II 400 400 400
SPM Annual Avg 360 140 70
24 Hrs Avg II 500 200 100
RSPM Annual Avg 120 60 50
24 Hrs Avg II 150 100 75
Lead Annual Avg 1.0 0.75 0.50
24 Hrs Avg II 1.5 1.0 0.75
Carbon 8 Hrs 5.0 mg/m3 2.0 mg/m3 1.0 mg/m3
Monoxide 1 Hr 10.0 mg/m3 4.0 mg/m3 2.0 mg/m3
(Above values are in ug/m3)

EMMISSION LOAD OF Cooch Behar CITY (TONNES / DAY) IN THE

YEAR 2004-2005

Table 24:

Sr Sources So2 Particulate Nox Co HC Total

No Matter
1 Domestic 3.57 10.77 4.22 108.36 17.56 144.48
2 Industrial 30.78 3.77 16.10 ---- 0.01 50.66
3 Refuse 0.11 1.37 0.25 5.42 1.92 9.07
Burning
4 Transportation
20
(a) Transport 4.64 1.85 26.65 14.10 5.46 52.70
(Diesel)
(b) Transport 0.59 0.13 17.35 265.58 39.46
(Petrol) 323.11
Total 39.69 17.89 64.57 393.46 64.41 580.02
(Source - WBPCB)

21
 Non-compliance & action:-
WBPCB initiated action against 2 industries during the year, as per the
provisions of Air Act 1981. The industries also responded positively &
provided/upgraded Emission control systems accordingly.

Vehicular pollution status:

Cooch Behar has good Transport system & well laid down road network.
The vehicle composition is as follows, 60 % two wheelers, 20.7 % cars, 2.4 %
taxis,
2.4 heavy vehicles, 15.4 % three wheeler & other 0.6 %

On the basis of fuels consumption, air pollution load due to auto exhaust
is 10 MT/day consisting of SO2, NO2, CO, SPM, Hydrocarbons etc. as pollutants.
To control the air pollution due to automobiles, various measures are initiated such
as conversion to CNG & LPG, PUC tests etc. On an average it is estimated that
60% of air pollution is caused by Auto- emission.

Therefore vehicular pollution is a major contributing factor in causing air

pollution in the city environment.

22
 4.3 NOISE MONITORING:-

The WBPCB has carried out monitoring of noise levels during the Diwali
because during the period we observed heavy air & noise pollution in city.

5. PUBLIC COMPLAINTS & its COMPLIANCE:-

WBPCB received public complaints regarding pollution which was attended

to. The matter was investigated on priority & suitable action was taken in the
matter.

23
 6. H.W. Management
There are 75 industries in Cooch Behar Region generating H.W. Details of H.W.
generation are given below
Table 28: Generation of H.W. in Mumbai Region

1. Secured land fill able 25,857.9 MT/Year.

water
2. Recyclable 1,05,711.3 MT/Year.

3. Incinerable 6,023.4 MT/YEAR

Total 1,37,592.6 MT/Year.

All the industries have joined CHWTSDF at WBIIDC Area. The industries are
monitored regularly & so far collected 10 Nos. of samples for analysis. Till date no
industries have been prosecuted under the provision of respective legislation.

7. BIO-MEDICAL WASTE
As per the available office record, there are 15 health care units in Cooch
Behar City City. The details are as below.
Table 29:

Sr Total Total No No of Application No of BIO

No No of of HCFS authorization under HCFS MEDICAL
HCFS applied granted process joined WASTE
CBMWTDF QUANTITY/
DAY
1 339 277 271 6 260 3.00 MT

HCF stands for health care facility and CBWTF stands for common Biomedical Waste

The BMW generated from the Hospitals, Dispensaries & Pathological

Laboratories Located within the Municipal area has to be collected, transported &
disposed off in the manner & methods as suggested under Bio-medical waste
(M & H) Rules 1998. As per the estimates & the figures available 3 T/ day of Bio-
medical waste is generated & transported to CHWTSDF Cooch Behar Police
Hospital. The Bio-Medical waste is collected & transported by the authorized
agencies.

24
 This office has constantly persuaded with medical association and issued
notices to defaulters, which were not sending BMW to facility. At present collection
& incineration facility provided at Cooch Behar is not in operation.

8. MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT

Due to increased population & commercial development, Cooch Behar is

facing problems of MSW disposal. The solid waste contains Bio degradable, Non
Biodegradable, Construction waste, Metal waste, plastic, paper etc.

Table 30:- Details of MSW quantity & its disposal sites:-

Sr No Name of site Quantity ( In Ton / Day)

1 Cooch Behar City 15.00
2 WBIIDC Area 10.00
3 Khagrabari Area 2.5

MSW disposal sites are in the thickly populated area of the city. There is no
mechanical facility provided for segregation of MSW. The sites have been fully
utilized & exhausted. The Municipality has open dumping facility for wet garbage at
Guriahti , B.C.Roy Road , Beside river Torsa (Gaddar Paar) locations outside the
city. Some proportion of the waste of Cooch behar municipality is processed by the
method of composting. There is an urgent need to select new site & adopt scientific
method for treatment & disposal of MSW.
The leachates generated from the dumping ground are not collected
properly & untreated leachate directly finding its way to creek / river through nalla.
The Cooch Behar Municipality failed to provide MSW treatment & disposal facility
within stipulated period as per MSW Rules.

25
Fig. 2,3,4 Generation of Solid Waste in Coochbehar Town

Fig 21, 22, 23 Open Dumping ground beside river Torsa

26
 The WBPCB is regularly monitoring the sites & collected JVS. The statement
of results is given below:-

Table 31:- QUALITY OF LEACHATES OF SOLID WASTE DUMPING YARD

Sr Name Of MSW-Site pH SS BOD COD TDS

No
1 Gaddar Paar 7.9 390 310 928 ----

The Action proposed:-

Cooch Behar Municipality have been directed to select new sites for
collection & treatment of MSW. Since, there is petition in the court of law &
Honorable Court has directed authority to provide scientific treatment & disposal
facility. WBPCB is continuously perusing the matter. As per the direction of Court,
the Government has allotted 10 Acres of land for new site development at
Khagrabari.

27
28
 9. Recycled Plastic Manufacture and Usage (Amended) Rules, 2003

In the Cooch Behar Region, there are 7 Nos of industries are in

operation. All these industries are manufacturing Plastic items more than 20
microns thickness.
The Plastic recycling & disposal - Rough estimate of composition of the
municipal solid waste indicates that about 4 to 6 % recyclable waste material i.e.
Glass, Paper, Metals & Plastic, etc. The recyclable constituents of the municipal
sold waste are segregated by the generator of the waste & the rest is removed &
collected by the Rag pickers in WBIIDC Selected area .
It is the Plastic trash i.e. Plastic bags, Papers, HDPE & LDPE material
& PVC parts cause the real problems of disposal in safe way. It is now a well
known fact that the poly material causes great hazard to natural environment
both soil & water.
The PVC material contains Toxic Metals & Chemicals, which are non-
biodegradable & remain in soil. It’s presence in municipal drainage system & storm
water drains causes chocking of sewages handling & disposal systems.
The presence of Poly material in soil for long duration also prevents the process of
rain water seepages in to ground.
WBPCB is making appeal to the residents of Cooch Behar to segregate
the recyclable & non-biodegradable waste i.e. Plastic, Metals, etc at source. It has
issued guild lines as part of mass awareness campaign for management of
municipal solid waste. Efforts are also being made at various forums to highlight the
importance of public participation at large to address the issue of segregation,
recycle & reuse of plastic material at individual household & generation level it self.

10. Battery (Management & Handling) Rules, 2001

In the jurisdiction of Cooch Behar Region 10 Nos of Battery

dealers/ bulk consumers are identified & they are submitting returns
29
regularly.

30
 11. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMME

1. Cooch Behar---

There is cluster of stone crushers and hot mix plants so the area is facing
problem of air pollution. To overcome this problem this office has taken action
against above units like issuing closure directions and also taking bank guarantee.
This action has led to positive development in the overall air quality.

2. Chilakhana ---

There are a cluster of Brick Manufacturing plants in this area & hence air
pollution is a major concern in this sector too. To overcome this problem, this
office has taken action against certain polluting units issuing closure directions and
also taking bank guarantee etc. As results, there is remarkable change in air
quality.

3. Dinhata Area ---

There are several Rice Mill units in this area, which are causing air
pollution. Recently this office has carried out survey of this area and is trying to
overcome the problem at the grass root level.

Area of Concern:

After having taken the assessment of Environmental factors affecting the

quality of life in Cooch Behar Region , we strongly feel that in addition to our
routine survey & monitoring following sectors also need to be given proper
attention & care to maintain ecological balance & to preserve symbiotic relationship
between water bodies, soil & funna & floora of the Region.

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 1. To under take survey of Chilakhana area - The area is facing
air pollution due to coal handling.

2. Inventerisation of water polluting source in un-organized sector.

3. Use of treated effluents for its recycling & reuse.

4. Identification of new disposal sites for MSW treatment by improved

technology.

5. Control of Auto exhaust emissions by using cleaner fuel &

adoption of stricture standards in WBIIDC Chakchaka.

6. To survey Torsa river water quality, to create data base for

effective implementation of improvement plant

7. Protection of Trees & development of green zone around

Forest area along blank of Teesta River.

CONCLUSION:-

It is evident from the survey & the monitoring data available with Cooch
Behar City & its surrounding Industrial Area needs special care on part of concern
agencies & hence W.B.P.C.B role an environment protection agency in the state
has paramount importance. In order to co-ordinate the various environment
activities of respective agencies, we need to have a cohesive & concerted efforts
to build strong environment regulating & implementing infrastructure facilities. This
action demands strong technical & resource back-up at our command, so as to
stream line & strengthen the Regional set-up.

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