TNPCB closes down 10 dyeing units

Tirupur: The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) on Thursday ordered closure of 10 dyeing units in the Tirupur knitwear cluster which failed to comply with the Supreme Court order pertaining to pollution caused by the dyeing units on River Noyyal.

The power and water supply to these units was also disconnected.

TNPCB District Environmental Engineer R. Kannan told The Hindu that the said 10 dyeing units, which had Individual Effluent Treatment Plants (IETPs) on their premises, had failed to ensure Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) during the treatment of the effluents and hence, the action.

“The units have been found discharging the untreated effluent into River Noyyal,” he said.

The closure orders, according to Mr. Kannan, have been issued under Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974. Mr. Kannan said that already a total of 53 units affiliated to Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs) remain closed for either failing to remit the fines imposed for polluting River Noyyal or being the members of those CETPs which failed to fit ZLD.

Rs. 200 cr. allotment to dyeing units waste of tax payers' money, say farmers

Tirupur: The clearance given by Parliament to the sanctioning of Rs. 200 crore by the Central Government to offset the project cost incurred for the 20 Common Effluent treatment Plants (CETPs) in Tirupur has been evoking varied response.

The Rs. 200-croreis the partake of Central Government to the Rs. 320 crore allocation promised for the dyeing units who shared the cost of setting up CETPs with the remaining share to be given by the State Government.

Though the industrial associations like Tirupur Exporters Association and Dyers Association of Tirupur had welcomed the decision, farmers' community who faced the brunt of the high pollution in River Noyyal owing to indiscriminate industrial effluent discharge during the last few decades feels that it was a waste of tax payers' money.

“From our past experience, it can be said for sure that any amount distributed to dyers' fraternity will only benefit them to increase their book profits instead of serving the purpose of stopping the industrial effluent discharge into River Noyyal,” Noyyal River Ayacutdars Protection Association (NRAPA) A. P. Kandasamy told The Hindu.

Mr. Kandasamy also referred to the writ petition the Association was forced to file in the Madras High Court after a government study found that Total Dissolved Solids levels in Noyyal had gone up to 5,100 ppm (parts per million) against the permissible limit of 2,100 ppm.

“Remember, this took place despite the Supreme Court directive which asked the dyeing units to ensure zero liquid discharge from January 6 this year and after commissioning the CETPs,” he said. He said that the SC directive came following a 14-year legal battle the Association waged against the dyeing units.K. Duraisamy, president of Tirupur District Groundwater Protection Committee, said that when Supreme Court itself had stated in the verdict in the Public Interest Litigation filed by NRAPA that ‘polluters pay', why then the government allocated grants to the dyeing units.

TN plans Noyyal land retrieval

Chennai, Sept. 4: The textile plants of Tirupur, Erode and Karur in western Tamil Nadu may have earned thousands of crores of rupees in foreign exchange, but their impact on the environment has been equally dismal.

The knitwear hub of Tirupur alone has been using one lakh tonnes of salt a year for dyeing and a study has pointed out that the effluents had affected more than 10,000 acres of fertile land along the Noyyal River.

While the farmers are waging a futile battle to get compensation, the state planning commission has come out with a proposal to reclaim the land by planting saplings of Casuarina, which can withstand high saline content besides going in for natural dye plants such as indigofera tinctoria.

During the recent conference of district collectors chief minister M. Karunanidhi, directed officials to work out the plan with the farmers’ cooperation.

“We have identified 5.5 acre land along the Noyyal River in Kangeyam taluk and will be planting natural dye (indigofera) saplings and casuarinas on a pilot basis,” the Tirupur Collector, Mr C. Samayamoorthy, told DC. The district administration is also planning to set up a natural dye extraction plant since it would not require huge investment or technology. “We are planning to give incentive to the farmers (`5,000 per acre) to take up the cultivation,” the collector added.

Planning commission member and retired IFS officer G. Kumaravelu, who mooted the proposal, said it would help farmers gain more income.

Noyyal river water unfit for human use, shows test

CHENNAI: The Noyyal river water is unfit for human consumption or use, the Madras high court has been told. In a report submitted to the court, the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) has said the pollution level in the water sample collected by the authorities was much above the acceptable standards.

The first bench comprising Chief Justice M Yusuf Eqbal and Justice TS Sivagnanam, before which a contempt of court petition filed with regard to the pollution caused by dyeing and bleaching units came up for hearing on Tuesday, took cognizance of the report and asked the court registry to circulate it to all the parties to the case for eliciting their response.

The judges also asked the authorities to file a detailed affidavit mentioning the dyeing and bleaching units that had been ordered to be closed by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB). The bench then adjourned the matter to November 22 for further hearing.

The Noyyal river, originating in the Vellingiri Hills of the Western Ghats, flows for about 175 km through Coimbatore, Erode and Karur districts before joining the Cauvery river near Noyyal village. Chemical and toxic effluents discharged into the Orathanadu dam by bleaching and dyeing units have affected groundwater in more than 95 villages in the districts of Erode and Karur. There are about 720 dyeing units in the region.

The contempt of court petition was filed by the Noyyal River Ayacutdars Protection Association, which claimed that the high court orders delivered in April 2008 had not been honoured by the authorities. In the petition, the association's president AP Kandasamy submitted that the court had directed the TNPCB to inspect dyeing and bleaching units in and around Tirupur and take steps to remove the excess production machinery with the assistance of the court-appointed monitoring committee.

On October 4, the first bench had deputed an official of the high court to visit the Kasipalayam village in Erode district and collect a water sample from the river. On October 21, the court had asked the authorities to send the sample to the NEERI's Chennai Zonal Lab at CSIR Madras Complex in Tharamani. A report, in a sealed cover, shall be submitted within a week from the date of receipt of water samples in sealed bottles, it said.

The NEERI submitted its report on October 29. When the matter is taken up for further hearing on November 22, the court is expected to analyse the replies of the TNPCB, as also the other stake-holders such as the unit-owners, and pass appropriate orders.

Coimbatore Corporation - water pollution on Noyyal river

The Coimbatore City lies within the watershed expanse of the Noyyal River Basin and consists of a network of tanks and canals. About 18 tanks in the city act as storage and percolation tanks and are major sources of ground water. Canals that act as natural drainage courses, serves as storm water drains for the Coimbatore city.

An analysis of nine water bodies of city by a local NGO indicates that most of the water bodies are contaminated. The discharge of industrial and domestic effluents, encroachments of tank and canal beds, exploitation of ground water are some of the important factors causing damage to these water bodies.

A key factor responsible for polluting the water bodies is the discharge of untreated effluents from small scale industrial units lacking in adequate individual treatment facilities. With major water bodies being polluted, an immediate effect is noticed on the health of the vulnerable communities residing on the banks of the canals and tanks. Further, there is a risk of contamination of ground water, resulting from over exploitation of ground water by
domestic and industrial users.

Orathapalayam Dam

In the Noyyal basin, the Orathapalayam Dam, which was constructed in 1992 for irrigation supply, has essentially become a holding tank for extremely polluted water. In addition to large amounts of organics and salts, pollutants include high concentrations of heavy metals and other industrial chemicals. Similar pollution problems are widespread and have been the subject of action by the courts for decades. A Government Order

(G.O No 213, I, dated March 30,1989) prohibits establishment of any polluting industry at a distance of less than one kilometer from the rivers. This has not been enforced and now even groundwater along the river course and downstream is polluted. Before construction of the dam, farmers grew irrigated crops of tobacco, coconut, turmeric, maize, cotton and vegetables. At present, primarily rainfed cultivation is carried out in these villages and the wet crop cultivation has become the luxury of a select few whose wells are yet to become polluted.

Average rainfall (mm) month wise rainfall details at Noyyal river basin

Month	Coimbatore	Palladam	Tiruppur	Perunthurai	Erode
January	13	10	14	14	14
February	9	6	6	11	13
March	16	9	13	14	17
April	53	45	57	45	49
May	60	75	82	95	90
June	39	14	20	29	38
July	52	19	27	41	49
August	35	23	43	68	87
September	51	49	62	94	96
October	155	152	163	160	174
November	129	112	115	108	104
December	42	434	40	37	38
Total	655	560	643	715	772

Industrial effluents and its impact in Noyyal River Basin

Untreated effluents discharged into the Noyyal by dyeing and bleaching units located in tirupur district had made considerable impacts on water resources both ground water and surface water over the years. There are over 870 dyeing units located in Noyyal river basin particularly in Tirupur, Palladam and Avinashi blocks that are primarily responsible pollution in the Noyyal river basin.

Industrial effluents flowing after Tirupur town are stored in Orathupalayam reservoir. Orathupalayam dam constructed in the year 1991 across the river Noyyal is in the spotlight ever since 1996. The dam was constructed for irrigation purpose and only meager quantity of water was released from this dam to irrigate approximately 20,000 acres of land in Erode and Karur district. The dam served its irrigation purpose from 1991 to 1996. The Orathupalayam reservoir is having a high-level of contamination causing unbearable problems to the villagers and the Government. Pollution problems are on the increase. Almost all water sources of the district have been polluted by various industries. The Anaipalayam-Kasipalayam sector of the river, which comes under the Tirupur Municipal limits, is no exception. The dyeing and bleaching units, which mushroomed in the town during the past two decades and the relentless pursuit of the industrialists in Tirupur for short-term monetary gains, have destroyed the river.

According to industrial experts, 8.7 Crores liters of treated effluents flow from the dyeing units in the town into the river daily. These effluents contain TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) higher than 2,100 mg/liter – the level set by the Tamilnadu Pollution Control Board. It is heavily contaminated and moreover poisonous gases emanate from it, resulting in lung infections. Worst affected are the slum dwellers along the riverside, which stand the risk of contracting water-borne diseases like diarrhea, dysentery and typhoid. It is needless to mention about the quality of water. The water from the river cannot be used for daily chores.

For the past 7 years, the dam is used for storing contaminated effluents discharged by dyeing and bleaching units. It had affected irrigation in over 1000 acres in an around Tirupur and Orathupalayam.

Effects of industrial pollutants

1. Industrial wastes consist of a variety of chemicals which are extremely toxic to living organisms including man and animals.

2. Industrial effluents, when discharged through sewage system, poison the biological purification mechanism of sewage treatment resulting in several soil and water borne diseases.

3. Foul smell / odour in the soil and their physical appearance create nuisance to mankind.

4. Metallic contaminants in soil fro a long period may be highly fatal to soil bacteria and other beneficial microbes.

5. Emission of toxic gases into air causes pollution of air.

6. Soluble salts cause crop loss, soil loss, metallic corrosion and lead to costly cleansing activities for reclamation.

7. Quality of agricultural produce is impaired.

8. Affect soil properties (physical, chemical and biological) adversely and make it unsustainable for plant growth.