It appears that even the remote parts of Erode district are not spared from the onslaught of pollution caused by the textile processing industries. A dyeing unit, which was set up in Dhiganari, a remote village in Thalavadi hills, is dumping untreated effluents in a pond.
The Tamil Nadu Tribal People Association president V.P. Gunasekaran, who brought it to the notice of the officials at the farmers grievances redress day meeting held here on Friday, said that the unit was being run using a generator and the pond was located inside the forest area.
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“The pollution caused by the dyeing unit will affect the forest resources. The administration should initiate immediate efforts to prevent the dyeing units from damaging the forest ecosystem,” he demanded.
District Collector C. Kamaraj, presiding over the meeting, instructed officials to look into the matter immediately and seize the equipment after shutting down the unit.
Lower Bhavani Project Farmers Association President S. Nallasamy said dumping of untreated toxic effluents into water sources in the district was continuing. The only way to protect farmers in the district was to end the practice, he said.
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Referring to the allotment of Rs. 18.32 crore as relief to farmers affected by pollution, Mr. Nallasamy said: “We do not want the tax payers' money from the government. According to the High Court order, industrial units which were responsible for the pollution should compensate the affected farmers.”
“The water sources in the district are becoming toxic day by day due to the continuous dumping of untreated effluents. The farmers in the district just need clean water for irrigation,” Kalingarayan Pasana Sabhai president V.M. Velayudham demanded.
Collector said that all the polluting industrial units in the district would be dealt with seriously. The administration would make efforts to put an end to the discharge of untreated effluents into water sources.
Encroachments
Earlier, Mr. Nallasamy urged the administration to remove encroachments along the Lower Bhavani Project (LBP) canal and its branch channels.
He wanted the State Government to release water from Bhavanisagar Dam to LBP ayacut ahead of the customary date of opening of the reservoir on August 15.
Responding to his demand, the Collector asked the Public Works Department to form a special team to identify the encroachments on the LBP canal and remove them.
He also asked officials to mark the boundaries of the canal with stones.
“The department should start the work immediately and complete it before October this year,” he ordered.