Shillong: Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board (MSPCB) Tuesday said its inspection of an ethanol and distillery unit at Byrnihat found no violation of prescribed emission standards.
The probe followed public concern triggered by social media posts alleging pollution emanating from the unit in Byrnihat which had topped the list of the world’s most polluted metropolitan areas in a 2024 report.
The MSPCB said it deputed its task force to inspect M/s Umiam Distillation Pvt Ltd at the Export Promotion Industrial Park (EPIP), Byrnihat, June 29, acting suo motu without waiting for a formal complaint.
During the inspection, the task force carried out source-emission monitoring, measuring particulate matter (PM), stack velocity, differential pressure and temperature.
Providing details, the board said the PM concentration was well below the prescribed limit under the unit’s Consent to Operate (CTO).
It said that the unit’s pollution-control systems, including an Electrostatic Precipitator for its captive power plant and a Multi-Effect Evaporator coupled with a Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) system for the distillery, were found to be operational.
It also collected raw and treated effluent samples for laboratory analysis and said the liquid discharge plant was functioning, with treated water being reused in the cooling tower.
Byrnihat, an industrial town located along the Meghalaya-Assam border, was ranked the world’s most polluted metropolitan area in the 2024 World Air Quality Report released by Swiss air quality monitoring firm IQAir earlier this year.
Following the report, the Meghalaya government stepped up inspections and enforcement against polluting industries, ordering the closure of several non-compliant red-category units, tightening compliance checks and strengthening ambient air quality monitoring.
The MSPCB said Byrnihat, a notified non-attainment town under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), remains under continuous surveillance and that multiple erring industries have been ordered to shut over the past two years.
The board reiterated that it remains mindful of residents’ health concerns and said monitoring and enforcement in Byrnihat would continue in a transparent and sustained manner.
