Continuing in its efforts to go green and become self sufficient, the Ambattur Industrial Estate will soon have its own facility to manage solid waste and treat effluent discharged by some units.
Spread over 1,200 acres, the estate, which is in its 50th year, has about 1,500 small and medium enterprises — largely automobiles, garments and engineering manufacturers.
For several years now, the estate has been grappling with issues of solid waste disposal because of erratic garbage clearance.
With a goal to become eco-friendly and also find a solution to the problem, the Ambattur Industrial Estate Manufacturers Association (AIEMA) is setting up a transit yard to segregate and dispose about 300 tonnes of waste generated every month.
Set up in an area of 2,000 sq.ft., the yard will be used to segregate garbage from neighbouring residential areas and industrial, hazardous waste.
AIEMA president K. Sai Sathya Kumar said, “We are roping in units to recycle waste and also dispose hazardous waste safely. The facility will be ready in three months.”
Ambattur, a forerunner among industrial estates in implementing environment-friendly projects, will also set up a common effluent treatment plant with a capacity to treat 200 kilo litres a day.
“Only 10 per cent of the units discharge effluents. We also plan to cover industrial units in a radius of 25 km, such as those in Thirumudivakkam and Thirumazhisai. Instead of letting out the treated water into canals, we will provide it to dyeing units in the estate,” said Mr. Kumar.
The Rs. 5-crore plant, constructed in public-private partnership mode, will become functional in six months.
AIEMA has planted over 1,500 saplings and also plans to go for solar and power-saving lamps for street illumination, said S. Gautaman, chairman of Chennai Auto Ancillary Industrial Infrastructure Upgradation Company.
In the run-up to the golden jubilee celebrations, the association plans to construct a golden jubilee tower and train 600 people in various skills, said Mr. Gautaman.
