TSPCB orders Everest Organics to halt production in Sangareddy
HYDERABAD: The Telangana State Pollution Control Board (TSPCB) has issued Stop Production orders to Everest Organics Limited in Sangareddy district for multiple violations of consent conditions and environmental norms.
The order, issued under Section 33(A) of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, followed inspections and a Task Force Committee review on September 2, 2025. Officials found that the company was discharging untreated and mixed effluents, mishandling hazardous waste, and failing to maintain pollution control systems.
Effluent handling violations
According to TSPCB, the industry was segregating high total dissolved solids (HTDS) and low total dissolved solids (LTDS) effluents but was later feeding mixed effluents into the multiple-effect evaporator (MEE) plant. The condensate was being sent to the biological effluent treatment plant.
The unit had not installed a dedicated flow meter for HTDS effluents, with the online system displaying reverse osmosis (RO) permeate data instead. During inspection, the zero liquid discharge system was not operational due to boiler maintenance.
Hazardous waste left exposed
Inspectors observed large quantities of hazardous waste, including about 60 metric tonnes of MEE salts and 90 metric tonnes of process sludge, stored in a damaged shed and exposed to rain. The area was filled with leachate mixed with rainwater, causing odour nuisance.
Spent carbon was found stored in an above-ground tank that had filled with rainwater. Domestic waste was also being stored haphazardly. The scrubber attached to the hydrochloric acid (HCl) storage tank was not functioning, leading to fume emissions.
Unauthorised sale of by-product
The Board noted that the company had been disposing ammonium sulphate salts to consumers in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu as a by-product, though its consent for operation (CFO) order did not list it as an approved by-product. Everest Organics had earlier sought permission to include ammonium sulphate as a by-product, but the matter remains pending.
The TSPCB said the industry failed to maintain records of first-cut rainwater disposal and allowed contaminated seepages along the boundary walls. It also flagged poor housekeeping, damaged stormwater drains, and use of flexible pipelines for wastewater transfer.
Board’s action
“The Board is of the firm opinion that the industry is not complying with directions and consent conditions and is causing water pollution in the surrounding area. In the interest of public health and environment, the Board hereby directs you to immediately stop all industrial activities,” the order stated.
The Board warned that continued operations despite the order would attract prosecution before a magistrate, carrying a minimum imprisonment of one year and six months, extendable up to six years, along with a fine.