Water Quality at Noyyal river basin

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With effluent treatment in place, knitwear industry hopes for revival

The knitwear cluster of Tirupur is set for a revival as production units are close to ensuring zero liquid discharge (ZLD) from their effluent treatment plants, as demanded by the Madras high court.According to the Dyers Association of Tirupur, 16 out of the 18 Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETP) are now engaged in the process and the remaining two are expected to commence trial runs some time in December. Two treatment plants are now functioning at 70% of capacity while another one is presently operating at 40% with zero liquid discharge. "We are upgrading the common effluent treatment plants with the help of the government and are enhancing the capacity of the common effluent treatment plants in the cluster," said S Nagarajan, president, Dyers Association of Tirupur (DAT).

The Madras high court had come down heavily on the knitwear cluster for upsetting the ecological balance of the region by releasing untreated chemical effluents into Noyyal river and its tributaries since January 2011. The court ordered the state administration to close down more than 700 dyeing and bleaching units in the region until measures were put in place to ensure ZLD from the treatment plants. At the moment CETPs at Arulpuram, which has 15 units connected to it, are functioning at 70% of its total operation capacity. "Our total capacity is to treat 55 lakh litre daily and now we are treating 38 lakh litre and will further upgrade the facility as we expect to achieve total ZLD within the next three months," said S Selvakumar, managing director, Arulpuram CETP, Tirupur.

Similarly, the Park CETP in Tirupur is presently operating at 70% capacity and the treatment plant at Veerapandi is operating at 40% capacity. The state government had also announced financial aid amounting to Rs 179 crore for the cluster owners to upgrade equipment and machinery at the treatment plants. Work towards that is underway in the district. "Mangalam CETP has approached us to start trial run and one more at S Periapalayam is also expected to follow suit. The units that are presently running at 70% will be allowed to go to the next stage after they upgrade their machinery and reverse osmosis reject treatment facility," said R Kannan, district environmental engineer, Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, Tirupur.

Noyyal river pollution study findings

Myilsamy.A (2012) was undertaken the study to economic impact of water pollution on rural households – A case study of Noyyal river basin in Tamil nadu. He was finished the Ph. D at Bharathiar Univeristy Coimbatore. From his study following conclusion was he made.

         The present study on the assessment of economic losses in Noyyal river basin was undertaken with a view to know the extent of average economic loss per annum. It was very clear and evident from the study that the ample villages in Noyyal river basin have been directly affected by the partly treated or untreated industrial effluents. The magnitude of damage caused to the agricultural sector and livestock was very heavy. Likewise, the impact on drinking water was also severe and it was evident that the surface water and ground water were polluted, the fisheries activities and recreation facilities were also significantly affected. There were the incidents of migration of labours and residents in the area due to lack of agricultural activities and poor environmental conditions. In nutshell, it was observed that the sample villages in Noyyal river basin were directly affected by the effluent and the damages were heavy to different sectors.  

Suggestion

1.      The authorities concerned, regarding this issue, shall not permit any more new processing industries like bleaching and dyeing in Tiruppur area.

2.      Processing industries can be allowed to have their units only near seashore and after treatment by the proper method the effluents may be allowed to confluence in the sea.

3.      Instead of the present treatment methods of effluents, an alternate technology (R.)., Biological etc.,) may be considered in consultation with the Pollution Control Board.

4.      On the basis of the extent and magnitude of damage the villagers especially the farmers may be given compensation for their loss on the basis of Polluters Pay concept.

5.      In future a pollution vigilant committee may be formed to control and regulate the process of treatment. The committee may be formed with villages, farmers, industry owners and government official as members. The committee may be recognized by a suitable Act.

PWD - Water Resource Organization Study finding

Senthilnathan (2004), study the micro level environmental status report of river Noyyal Basin. Most of the industries are located on either side of the Noyyal river bank at Tiruppur. These industries especially dyeing and bleaching units are the water consuming one. Nearly 9,000M³T of effluent from these industries are released directly in to the river Noyyal with incomplete treatment. This ultimately affects the river surface water system severely. The characterization of the water quality of the surface water samples of the river Noyyal is found higher and well above the threshold limit. Though the surface water is clear it looks slightly gray colour due to the domestic effluent mixed with the industrial effluent. Thus the water samples were very turbid throughout these areas. The colloidal material associated with turbidity provides adsorption surface for various chemical wastes from the industrial treated effluent. The chemical composition is likely to be greatly affected by the nature and amount of effluent dumped into it as well as biotic and abiotic processes in the water body.

Works on sewage treatment plant at Ondipudur to begin soon

The much delayed sewage treatment plant proposed at Ondipudur near Coimbatore as part of the ongoing under ground drainage system overseen by the Coimbatore city municipal corporation will eventually be realised. The civic body is expected to complete the exercise of land acquisition from private land holders and has so far acquired about 13 acres of land. The documentation of about one acre of land is expected to be completed soon, out of the total 14.4 acre of land identified to set up the plant. The delay in documentation is due to some internal dispute among private land owners who have already given their consent in principal to hand over the property to the civic body.

This project is most needed one for the save Noyyal river, Because more than15 lakhs people discharge the waste water into the Noyyal river with out treated. Government must take action in time.

Polluted Noyyal river in Tamil Nadu is turning land and people barren

Land has turned barren though there's water aplenty. And it can't even quench their thirst. If this was the pathetic story so far of the villages along the Noyyal river, the worst has befallen downstream in the boomtown of Tirupur - infertility is staring the villagers in the face. Fishes floating along the river because of discharge of toxic industrial waste and attendant loss of agriculture. What rattles the villagers more is the increasing rate of infertility among men and women and its social consequences. Not surprisingly, there is a surge in the rural populace approaching fertility clinics which have mushroomed in Erode, Tirupur, Karur and Coimbatore districts. There are about 30 hospitals in Erode and Tirupur - the worst affected by water pollution because of effluent discharge from dyeing and bleaching units. "We are witnessing a significant rise in the number of men and women coming for infertility treatment from the areas next to the Noyyal. Environmental degradation is a major cause of this," Dr Nirmala Sadasivam, a specialist in IVF treatment, said.

"We were taken aback when 210 couples were found with fertility disorder at a medical camp as late as 2009 in Karur. All of them were from the villages downstream," the doctor added, claiming that the sperm count in the region had come down to 40 million from the earlier 120 million. Urging the government to make efforts to reclaim the land and the river, she disclosed "30 to 40 couples visit our hospital daily". Dr S. Dhanabagiyam, another popular IVF specialist in Tirupur, carried out a study of the region. Her research revealed that an alarming 80 per cent of impotence cases were a result of water pollution. "High water contamination," she said, "reduces sperm count, while in women it creates ovarian complications and hormonal changes, leading to loss of oestrogen as well as abortions." Her hospital was recently in the news for the birth of 26 babies on a single day to couples treated for infertility from all over India. A visit to these villages downstream Noyyal found many elders lamenting about the growing incidence of impotence.

"Our youth are shunned in the marriage market. Word about impotence in these areas has spread. There is growing apprehension about sterility coupled with worry over the loss of livelihood. Our women too face this problem as the frequency of conception has come down drastically," T. C. Duraisamy, 56, former panchayat president of Thammareddypalayam, a fertile village now desertified, bemoaned. The villagers initially believed the problem was confined to cattle. "As a boy, I saw our milch animals, especially cows, yielding a minimum of 10 calves. It is not the case nowadays and has had a cascading effect on the local economy. Most farmers have taken to making charcoal," he said.

Farmer-turned-shepherd Nachimuthu Gounder, 52, also complained: "First the land turned barren and then it (water pollution) caught up with the cattle. Now, we've become the victims." The malaise is not confined to a few areas but is prevalent in over 71 revenue villages with a population of nearly 2 lakh spread across the three districts of Tirupur, Karur and Erode, through which the Noyyal river passes. A detailed study by an academic had revealed in 2003 that water pollution had given rise to over 60 per cent of ailments such as skin diseases, respiratory problems and gastritis.

"Infertility accounts for 40 per cent of health disorders in the pollution-hit villages. We have been pressing the government to carry out a scientific study. We are tired of submitting petitions from the district collector to the CM. But nothing has happened," said V. Ramasamy, adviser to the Noyyal farmers' forum which took up the over-a-decade-long legal battle against the polluting industries. The irony, however, is that the residents of most villages are turning to Tirupur for employment. "It is a classic case of the victim turning to the perpetrator for succour," Ramasamy added.

Farming and allied activities were thriving in these villages, surrounded by coconut and mango groves, barely two decades ago. Even now they have electric pump-sets for their wells but nothing grows with the water. If at all anything is grown, it is maize and that too when the rain comes. After the Madras High Court directive in November 2010, effluent discharge from the dyeing and bleaching units, numbering over 700 in Tirupur, had almost come to an end. "But the level of water pollution has not come down and there is no effort to resolve the problem," Ramasamy said.

According to a recent study, 2,300-2,500 total dissoluble solids (TDS) still make up the water. If the number crosses 500, the water becomes unfit for drinking and above 1,500 TDS, it can't be used for farming, he pointed out. Despite pollution plaguing the region for over a decade, the government has not conducted any study on health disorders. The affected districts have no data on the spurt in certain diseases. "We will certainly look into the demand for a health survey. Proactive steps would be initiated and if any work has been carried out earlier, it will be given thrust," was all that Erode collector V.K. Shanmugham said.

Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/polluted-noyyal-river-tamil-nadu-turning-land-and-people-barren/1/209822.html