Farmers happy at revival plans for dyeing units in Tirupur

R. Vimal Kumar, the Hindu dated August 5, 2011

The bouquet of initiatives that the State government announced recently for rejuvenation of Tirupur dyeing industry is offering farmers and environmentalists some reason to cheer about, as it has clearly put an end to speculations on effluent treatment methods doing rounds in the cluster.

“Though there may not be many significant steps announced that could make an immediate change to the status quo in the dyeing industry crisis, it is heartening that the government had given a clear message that zero liquid discharge (ZLD) norms are going to stay in the effluent treatment process from now, in line with the judicial pronouncements,” P. Sankarnarayan, an environmental activist hailing from the farmers' community, said.

Plea to Govt.

Ever since the dyeing units were closed by Madras High Court on January 28, a large section of the industry and other stakeholders have been appealing to the government either to allow discharge of treated effluents at 2,100 ppm (parts per million) or to take such effluents for marine discharge, a technique that was exposed badly in Gujarat.

Some of the leading associations even had ridiculed the concept of ZLD stating that such technology or criteria did not exist anywhere in the globe.

Exposed

However, the claims of ‘non-existence of ZLD methodology' got exposed within no time. This was when some of the dyeing units run by the representatives of the associations obtained the sanction to restart the operations after the units proved their ZLD capabilities before authorities concerned even while they were propagating opposite versions.

The farmers' fraternity is happy that the revival package released by the government did not even consider the appeals of a certain segment of the industry asking the government to take over the effluent treatment plants.

Tax payers' money

“Why should government waste the tax payers' money for treatment of effluents generated by industrialists who are doing the business only for their fortunes, and such takeovers are not possible as Tirupur is not the only industrial cluster in the State,” P. Rathinasamy, a coconut and gooseberry farmer, who encountered the brunt of industrial pollution along River Noyyal, said.

TN officials for Gujarat to study effluent treatment model

PTI | 04:07 PM,Jul 30,2011

Chennai,Jul30 (PTI) As part of its efforts to find a solution to the vexed issue of pollution from Tirupur dyeing units, which has affected the Noyyal river, Tamil Nadu government has deputed a team of officials to study a Gujarat model on effluent treatment, and consider its application in the state. The delegation led by Environment Secretary CV Sankar and comprising members including Tamil Nadu Polltion Control Board member-secretary S Ramachandran and industry representatives left for Baruch in Gujarat on Friday, a state government release said. They will study a NANO technology-based effluent treatment system being used in Birla Century Textiles near Baruch to consider its implementation in the hosiery hub of Tirupur also, it said. The method using nano technology treats 20 per cent of effluence and minimises it to seven per cent.The water and salt produced after condensing the seven per cent effluence is recycled for use in the factory again. Tamil Nadu government will give Rs 200 crore as interest-free loan to this project or another one, which is its own. Jayalalithaa had two days ago announced a slew of measures to solve this issue, which has affected both farmers, due to pollution, and dyeing industry alike. The dyeing units had to be shut down following a court directive in the absence of proper zero discharge provisions in place and both farmers and the dyeing units have been demanding proper action from the state government. For the farmers, Jayalalithaa had announced a relief package.

18 crore 38 lakh rupees to the affected farmers

Ms Jayalalithaa, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister released a statement on 28 July 2011. According to the statement, there are 754 dyeing and bleaching units in Tirupur area. Among them, There are 20 common effluent treatment plants catering to the 502 garment units and the rest 252 units have their own effluent treatment plants separately for each.Around 87,250 kilo liter effluents are being discharged into the Noyyal river everyday.

In the statement, Ms Jayalalithaa has pointed out that the Noyyal river irrigated farmers association, in 1996 filed a petition in the Madras High Court to stop the discharge of effluents from the dyeing and bleaching units of Tirupur as it polluted the farmlands and the water bodies of Noyyal river.In 1998, the high court ordered that the units should form their own effluent treatment plants.But the Noyyal river irrigated farmers protection society in 2003,once again moved a public interest litigation in the high court as the farmlands and the river were still affected by the effluents despite the units constructing separate treatment plants.Following this, the high court in its verdict in 2006, said that the units should attain zero liquid discharge before 31st of july 2007 and those units which fail to do so, would be closed.The Dyeing units owners association got a stay order for this from the apex court.

The apex court in october 2009, in its verdict confirmed the order of the High court and said that the dyeing units should attain zero liquid discharge within 3 months' time.But, since the dyeing units could not attain the zero liquid discharge within the said period, the contempt of court proceedings took place and 754 dyeing and bleaching units were closed from 1st of february 2011,according to the order of the Madras high court on 28th of January 2011.

Also, on the basis of the verdict of the Madras High court in 2006, for the compensation to the farmers and to clean the Orathupalayam dam a fine of 49 crore 29 lakh rupees was levied. In that amount, 37 crore 11 lakh rupees has already been collected out of which 6 crore 77 lakh rupees has been given to the PWD to clean the Orathupalaym dam. The Balance, 11 crore 96 lakh rupees has been given as reparation amount to 17 thousand 758 farmers. The remaining 18 crore 38 lakh rupees had still not been paid to the 10 thousand 838 farmers.Only after receiving the high court verdict, this amount could be disbursed. But considering the welfare of the farmers, TN Government had he 18 crore 38 lakh rupees be given by the Government itself immediately.

This apart, as per the orders of the Madras high Court, the amount of 62 crore 37 lakh rupees has been collected as fine and the interest accruing to it, it stands at 67 crore rupees. Of this 25 crore rupees is with the High court and 42 crore rupees is with the district collector. This amount after receiving the high court order, would be given to the farmers as compensation and for developing the affected farmlands and the water bodies.