All five West Champaran sugar mills compliant with discharge norms, government confirms

Asked and answered by: Asked by Shri Sunil Kumar; Answered by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Minister Shri Bhupender Yadav).

What the government said

• Sugar mills with capacity exceeding 5000 Tonnes of Cane Crushed per Day (TCD) require prior Environmental Clearance under the EIA Notification, 2006.
• Sugar mills are classified as Category 'B' projects and appraised by State level Expert Appraisal Committees (SEAC).
• Emission and effluent discharge standards for sugar mills were notified on 14th January, 2016.
• Sugar mills fall under the 'Red' category for inspections and are mandated to be inspected by State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) once every six months.
• Sugar mills are required to install Online Continuous Emission Monitoring Systems (OCEMS) connected to the CPCB server.
• According to the Bihar State Pollution Control Board (BSPCB), sugar mills have installed Air Pollution Control Devices such as cyclones, wet scrubbers, or Electro Static Precipitators (ESP).
• During 2025-26, five sugar mills in West Champaran were inspected by joint teams and found compliant with discharge norms.
• CPCB prepared 'Charter 2.0' in 2025 for water conservation and pollution prevention by sugar industries in the Ganga basin.

Also in the document

• The government stated that all five sugar mills inspected in West Champaran during 2025-26 were found compliant with discharge norms.
• The answer confirms that inspections are conducted by BSPCB during the crushing season and by third-party agencies nominated by CPCB on a yearly basis.