Activities of the Board

In order to perform its functions under the above Acts, the Board carries out the following main activities:

1

The Monitoring of water quality of all 4 rivers ( Satluj, Beas, Ravi & Ghaggar) of the State at 37 nos. monitoring stations is being done by PPCB quarterly under NWMP Scheme of CPCB

2

The Monitoring ground water quality in Ludhiana City is being done by PPCB under NWMP Scheme of CPCB at 6 locations bi-annually

3

Under NAMP Scheme, the Board carries out the monitoring of the quality of ambient air of Mandi Gobindgarh, Khanna, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Nangal, Dera Baba Nanak, Patiala, Dera Bassi, Bathinda, and Amritsar,  through 24 permanent air monitoring stations.

4

The Board advises, guides, encourages, persuades & helps the industry in putting up effluent treatment plants and air pollution control devices to control pollution and in taking other measures to prevent or reduce pollution.

5

The Board issues NOC's to the new units on submission of a proper scheme for pollution control and issues consent under Water & Air  Acts,  after the unit takes adequate pollution control measures. It also issues authorizations to Hazardous Waste generating units on their making proper arrangement for storage of such wastes. The Board performs its regulatory function through consent mechanism.

6

The Board launches prosecutions against the units which do not take steps to control pollution inspite of repeated requests & warnings. It also orders closure of units when all other methods fail under the provisions of the Water Act, 1974 and the Air  Act, 1981 etc.

7

The Board makes available cost effective technologies & sets up model demonstration plants for control of pollution in small scale units such as cupola furnaces, rice shellers,  and induction furnaces etc. with the help of Punjab State Council for Science & Technology, Chandigarh and other organizations / institutes of excellence like IITs etc.

8

It monitors the noise level in the cities generated due to industrial, domestic and other public activities. These studies help the Board in assessing the pollution in the State.

9

It monitors the effects on soil due to the discharge of liquid effluents on to land.

10

The Board imparts guidance to industries through seminars / monthly interaction meets / awareness campaigns.

11

Many industrial units are in the habit of evading the pollution control laws by not operating their pollution control devices and, moreover, bye-pass the designated outlets and ETPs for saving cost of treatment. The Board has adopted the policy of sustained monitoring of units day and night and, even, on holidays. Such surprise visits are carried out not only by local staff but also through high-level teams directly from Head Office.