Farmers accuse 2 dyeing units of illegally letting effluents into stream

Tirupur: Farmers of Karaipudur in the district accused two dyeing units of polluting a stream in their village by illegally letting industrial effluents into the waterbody.
Claiming that the authorities have failed to act, they threatened to launch protests, including hunger strike.
More than 60 dyeing units are functioning in Karaipudur panchayat. Many have been functioning with two common effluent treatment plants. Some have installed individual effluent treatment plants.
P Subramanian, a farmer, said, “The two dyeing units, which have individual ETPs, were releasing the effluents without treating into Karaipudur stream at Lakshmi Nagar.”
“When we informed about the issue to the Tamil Nadu pollution control board (TNPCB), the authorities came and found that the water in the Karaipudur stream was carrying at least 4,000 TDS (total dissolved solids), which was higher than permitted level of 2,100 TDS,” he said.
“The illegal discharge of effluents by the dyeing units have polluted the land as most of agricultural wells were springing water which was unfit for agriculture in the area. Despite complaints, the authorities are not taking stringent action,” he added.
In December 2017, the district administration formed a special committee constituted by representatives from TNPCB, agricultural department, dyeing units and farmers to monitor menace of illegal discharge of effluents at Ganapathipalayam, a neighbouring village to Karaipudur. The farmers said agriculture continued to be affected in the region.