Dyeing, bleaching units asked to display green measures

The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) has tightened its noose around the dyeing and bleaching units located at the Sipcot Industrial Estate in Cuddalore and Tirupur. The board has ordered the installation of an electronic display system to ensure transparency in pollution control measures.

The display should be bilingual (both in Tamil and English) and give details of products, permissible emission levels, effluent discharge and waste disposal. The units have been asked to link it to the online system to make the display effective and foolproof.

Following the complaints that some of the units were draining effluents, treated or otherwise, through an underwater pipeline one kilometre off the coast, without quantifying the discharge, TNPCB has asked all the units to fix flow meters to record the quantum of discharge.

To check compliance with the new rule, TNPCB has posted an assistant engineer on the Sipcot campus.

In Tirupur, the knitwear industry that was caught in a serious environment tangle for nearly a decade, is in crisis again. The industry finds it difficult to find resources to deposit half the total project cost of attaining zero effluent discharge.

At such time, the TNPCB's order to install the electronic display systems adds to the industry's woes. Earlier in July 2005, the industry faced an en masse closure order and stoppage of production due to the environmental issues.

As per the Madras High Court's recent order, all the 600 dyeing and bleaching units will have to deposit half the total project cost of attaining zero effluent discharge (including installation of reverse osmosis plants, pipelines, civil works and evaporators) before February 28, or face closure again. The industry has to find resources to the tune of at least Rs 200 crore.

Kandaswamy, president, Dyers' Association of Tirupur (DAT), told Business Standard, "Neither the state nor the centre is helping us. We are not in a position to mobilise such a huge amount in a short time. We have decided to request the high court to reconsider its decision by extending the date of payment to March 10."

A monitoring committee appointed by the high court is keeping a tab on the progress towards attaining zero effluent discharge into the Noyyal river.

According to sources, the number of units that have achieved zero effluent discharge has gone up from 19 to 35. Works on over 50 individual units are nearing completion.

The central government has assured that it is ready to provide 25 per cent grant to the projects if the state government forwards the proposals after sanctioning 25 per cent of the total cost. But the state has refused to help the industry that provides employment to more than three lakh people, sources pointed out.