According to the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB), 75 textile processing plants operating inside Erode Corporation limits had their power cut off for a number of infractions over the past 1.5 years, including the discharge of effluents into drains and canals.
In an email to the board, S. Chinnasamy, coordinator of the Perundurai Sipcot Affected People Welfare Association, complained about the discharge of effluents into canals that eventually flow into the Cauvery river in Vairapalayam. The email inquired as to what steps had been done to punish offenders.
L. Mohan, District Environmental Engineer, TNPCB, stated in his response letter to Chinnasamy that numerous public complaints had been received regarding the discharge of effluents into canals by the units operating inside the Corporation limits. Flying squads were organised to investigate the units in Periyasemur, and the crew discovered that five of the units did not use the effluent treatment plants. The District Coordination Committee’s chairman received a report, and both the Collector and the Collector ordered that the electricity be cut off to these units.
At R.N. Pudur and Vairapalayam, officials also took water samples from the river, which they then submitted to the board’s laboratory in Salem. In order to determine the amount of total dissolved solids (TDS) in the water, samples of the water were also taken from the water pumping stations at Sipcot, the Bhavani Kattalai Barrage in B.P. Agraharam, Vendipalayam, and Vairapalayam. The letter stated that samples were taken each month and that the water’s quality was constantly assessed.
The letter further stated that starting in January 2022, TNPCB had cut power to 27 units, including one tannery unit, ten dyeing units, twelve printing units, and four other units. Likewise, 48 units, including two tanneries, five dyeing units, 36 printing units, and five sealed units, had their power supply cut off by the District Coordination Committee.
According to the letter, the units were under constant observation by officials, and anyone found in violation would face consequences.
