One of the recent sustainable initiatives taken up by Tirupur has become an outstanding example of a good ground-level collective and sustainable effort sending out a positive message to the entire industry. Udumalai K. Radhakrishnan, Animal Husbandry Minister of Tamil Nadu inaugurated a project in which almost 18 different associations like Tirupur Exporters’ Association (TEA), Dyers Association of Tirupur, Knit Cloth Manufacturers Association among other industry bodies joined hands to clean the nine kilometre stretch of the river Noyyal . These bodies will share common ideas, and contribute actively with their equipment and workforce for the cause. Nearly 8 earth movers are being used for this exercise which will continue for almost 15 days. The member units of all industrial associations in the cluster would be collectively bearing the projected expenditure of Rs. 30 lakh for this major drive. It is also worth mentioning here that about a month ago, Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) temporarily sealed a CETP and its member textile dyeing and bleaching units for polluting Noyyal.
Talking to Apparel Online, T R Vijayakumar, General Secretary of TEA, shared how the idea was generated, “TEA and one other body were already putting some efforts to clean Noyyal but with the motivation of the local administration, especially from District Collector K.S. Palanisamy, it was decided that all bodies should come forward and join hands; and now this is going to be done on a big level.”
He further added that to keep the river permanently clean, many steps are being planned like 6 ponds are being cleaned or developed for the storage of excess water. Plantation will also be done along the river side and various awareness campaigns will continue. The river will be cleaned on a regular basis.
Vijay positively stated, “The mutual coordination and support between all the bodies is really good.” This initiative is not being appreciated in Tirupur alone, but it has also created a buzz in the social media with appreciation coming in from various parts of the country. Nitin Bhandari, CMD, Bhandari Hosiery Exports Ltd. wrote on social media: “We in Ludhiana also should get together and launch such an initiative for our Buddha Nala canal and genuinely look at our ETP /RO systems internally and run them ethically for our future generations. I urge all fellow like-minded entrepreneurs to please email me their interest for such an initiative.”
Buddha Nala canal is a seasonal water stream, which runs through the Malwa region, passing through Ludhiana city and finally drains into the Sutlej river, a tributary of the Indus river. It has also become a major source of pollution in the region as well the main Sutlej river, owing to the highly populated and industrialized Ludhiana, which has turned it into an open drain. Nitin justifies his statement saying, “It starts from buyers and goes up to the suppliers. Buyers want cheap prices but don’t want to look at the sustainable side. Buyers need to stop business where proper water, air management is not in place. Manufacturers need to pledge to do proper water/air management ethically, no matter what comes. If there is price increase in the product, so be it. If everybody will implement ethical systems, price will be the same for everybody. But unfortunately, nobody is thinking on these lines. Yes, there will be challenges while implementing ethical waste systems, but then it will become part of our system.”
