A joint inspection committee has told India's National Green Tribunal (NGT) East Zone Bench that a private ferro alloys company mining chromite in Sukinda valley is failing on drainage, overburden dump stabilisation and hexavalent chromium effluent treatment, with untreated runoff reaching Damasala Nallah. The findings were placed on record in an affidavit filed on 25 August 2026 in a report published 26 August by The New Indian Express.
Key takeaways
- Committee found untreated Cr6+ runoff from overburden dumps being released into Damasala Nallah despite the ETP being operational (The New Indian Express).
- Untreated Cr6+ levels were reported at more than 100 times the 0.05 mg/L stipulated norm (The New Indian Express).
- Recommended a centralised Cr6+ treatment facility with tertiary treatment for the entire Sukinda Valley, plus fortnightly runoff testing by project proponents and monthly monitoring by OSPCB (The New Indian Express).
- Three-member bench led by Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi posted the matter for further hearing on 2 November (The New Indian Express).
What the committee found on the ground
The committee, made up of officials from the Union Environment ministry's regional office, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB), the Sukinda forest range and the Jajpur district administration, identified several deficiencies in the mining operations of the company, according to The New Indian Express. Inspectors saw no systematic drainage to channel storm water from overburden dumps; runoff was cutting across mine roads, eroding soil and weakening mine slopes, with some benches already collapsed.
On the chemistry side, the panel flagged that the prescribed standard operating procedure for Cr6+ treatment was not being followed, that a separate drain from the overburden dumps was releasing water into Damasala Nallah without treatment, and that tailing spills, inadequately lined sludge storage, and silt-choked Hume pipes were all present on site, The New Indian Express reported. The committee recommended immediate ETP upgradation, environmental compensation under applicable CPCB guidelines, monthly health check-ups for nearby villagers and assured safe drinking water through tankers or pipelines, with mine water put through further purification before supply.
What happens next
The affidavit was filed on Monday by deputy director of mines, Jajpur Road circle, Pabitra Kumar Sahoo, and the bench has listed the matter for further hearing on 2 November, according to The New Indian Express. Petitioner Kailash Chandra Nayak, a resident of Sukinda, was represented by advocates Sankar Prasad Pani and Ashutosh Padhy.
Specification read
The headline contaminant is hexavalent chromium. The committee measured Cr6+ in untreated runoff at more than 100 times the 0.05 mg/L norm, which works out to a reported concentration above 5 mg/L, The New Indian Express. The committee's recommended train for the whole Sukinda valley is a centralised Cr6+ facility with tertiary treatment on top of the existing ETP, plus a segregated, treated and certified-safe diversion of every chromium-bearing runoff stream, with fortnightly proponent testing and monthly OSPCB verification, The New Indian Express reported. No flow in m³/day or MLD was reported for the offending drain or for the proposed centralised plant; for context, a single mid-sized chromite mine run-off treatment train in this class of operation typically sits in the 0.5–5 MLD range (general industry range, not from the sources).
Operationally this is a process-stage failure at the Cr6+ reduction step and at the sludge/slurry handling line, not a problem with biological secondary treatment. The committee specifically pointed to the prescribed Cr6+ SOP not being followed and to inadequately lined sludge storage. For an operator this means the next capex line is rarely a new bioreactor; it is a chemical reduction package (typically SO₂/acid-sulfite or ferrous-sulfate at pH 2), a clarifier or DAF stage for the reduced Cr(III) precipitate, a dedicated lined sludge dewatering and secure landfill line, and a metered segregated drainage network so that storm runoff from overburden dumps can no longer bypass the ETP. Buyers looking at a similar chromite or ferro-alloys site should size flows in m³/day, specify influent Cr6+ in mg/L and total chromium in mg/L, demand an SOP-traceable reduction stage, and require the supplier to show how lined sludge storage and tailings handling are closed-loop. HydropureWater's Water Purification hub covers the Cr6+ reduction, DAF and tertiary stages relevant to a Sukinda-class retrofit, and buyers comparing flotation against settling for similar heavy-metal slurries can step through the trade-offs in our DAF vs Clarifier for Mining & Metals Wastewater in Garden Valley: 2026 Factory Selection Guide and the parallel DAF vs Clarifier for Mining/Metals Wastewater in Zahl, ND: 2026 Factory Buyer's Guide.
FAQ
What exactly did the NGT panel find wrong with the chromite ETP?
Inspectors found the ETP was operating but the prescribed standard operating procedure for Cr6+ treatment was not being followed, and a separate drain was carrying untreated overburden-dump runoff straight into Damasala Nallah, according to The New Indian Express. Tailing spills, inadequately lined sludge storage and silt-choked Hume pipes were also flagged.
How severe was the hexavalent chromium exceedance?
The committee reported Cr6+ in untreated runoff more than 100 times the 0.05 mg/L stipulated norm, The New Indian Express said. The committee is recommending immediate ETP upgradation and environmental compensation under CPCB guidelines.
What is the committee recommending for the whole Sukinda valley?
A centralised Cr6+ treatment facility with tertiary treatment for the entire Sukinda valley, plus fortnightly runoff testing by project proponents and monthly monitoring by OSPCB, with chromium-bearing runoff diverted to the ETP until treated and certified safe, The New Indian Express reported.
When is the NGT bench hearing the case again?
The three-member NGT East Zone Bench, comprising Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and expert members A Senthil Vel and Ishwar Singh, posted the matter for further hearing on 2 November, The New Indian Express reported.
