While on the one hand Tamil Nadu has pioneered implementation of Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) system for industrial units generating harmful effluents, textile units operating out of Perundurai SIPCOT Industrial Growth Centre lament that they are losing out on competitiveness in pricing of products due to enormous expenditure involved in complying with the norms.
Of the nearly 50 textile processing units in the SIPCOT complex, about 15 industries closed down operations over the last four years after incurring losses.
An equal number among the existing units find themselves in a similar predicament, as retaining customer base in export market is pretty difficult due to disadvantageous pricing, S. Selvaraj, joint secretary, Perundurai SIPCOT Textiles Processors Association (PSTPA), said.
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“We lose out as the units that do not comply with ZLD norms are able to sell their products for Rs. 15 to Rs. 20 lesser per kg in the export market. It is difficult to survive in the absence of a level-playing field. The units exiting from SIPCOT are moving to other States where the norms are not so stringent,” Mr. Selvaraj said.
Industrial units in SIPCOT are now in the process of raising the height of the solar evaporators from the ground level by a few feet. The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board had directed the units to do so to rule out mixing of hazardous waste in the form of the end-salt with soil.
The PSTPA has urged the State Government to enforce uniform compliance by all dyeing and bleaching industries.
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As for the dyeing and bleaching units elsewhere in Erode and neighbouring districts that have been releasing their untreated effluent into water bodies, the State Government has offered to establish Common Effluent Treatment Plants by announcing a Rs. 700 crore package. Likewise, subsidies given to CETPs must be extended to individual ETPs.
There must also be power concession for running the biological treatment system that needs to be operated round-the-clock, the PSTPA has emphasised in its appeal to the Government.
The Tamil Nadu Water Investment Corporation that would be implementing the Rs. 700 crore project for CETPs is learnt to have given consent to visit SIPCOT next week to study scope for investing in a common facility for Reject Management benefitting the existing 35 textile units.
They are losing out on competitiveness in pricing of products owing to huge expenditure involved in complying with norms