Maharashtra has the maximum polluting industries in the country followed by Uttar Pradesh, Environment and Forest Minister T R Baalu informed the Lok Sabha on Monday.

In a written reply, Baalu said of the 1551 polluting industries under 17 categories, Maharashtra had 335 while Uttar Pradesh identified 207. Gujarat was placed as third with 177 such industries while Andhra Pradesh had 173 and Tamil Nadu 119 such units. Karnataka had identified 85 polluting units, Madhya Pradesh 61, West Bengal 58, Rajasthan 49, Punjab 45, Bihar 44 and Haryana 43.

Northeastern states of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura did not have a single polluting unit while Assam reported a maximum 15 polluting industries in the region followed by Sikkim and Meghalaya one each, he informed.

Though Delhi just reported five polluting units, the continuous discharge of treated and untreated effluents into Yamuna river and Western Yamuna Canal from various sources has increased ammonical-nitrogen load to such an extent that it has affected that desired raw water quality at Delhi's Water Treatment Plants and they had to be closed down for a few days.

This was revealed by a survey conducted by the Central Pollution Control Board in January 2003, he said.

The CPCB has issued instructions to certain industries for pollution prevention and its abetment.

The state Pollution Control Boards and Committees have also been directed to take action against defaulting industries, he said.

UNI