Impact of Industrialisation on Noyyal River

(An Investigative Project partnered with Padmashree Pande)

INTRODUCTION:

The Noyyal River originates in the Vellingiri hills of Tamil Nadu and passes through Coimbatore, Tirupur and a few villages of Tamil Nadu and Kerala; meeting Bhavani River in Erode and finally Cauvery in Karur District. The Noyyal River is not a perennial one — it is a rivulet which carries water only during the monsoons.

Tirupur, the Textile Capital of the South, is a town made on a rocky terrain. It has always faced water problems but it served salty water in abundance. At first, Tirupur started off by opening banyan (vest) factories and later expanded in becoming the textile hub of southern India.

The river was first polluted by sewage water and with Noyyal flowing in Tirupur, the dyeing factories used the water body for their daily water supply. Due to the lack of research, the sludge which was produced by dyeing factories was dumped into the river. This resulted to soil erosion and destroying the only source of fresh water to the town and its neighbouring areas.

After a few years, the water in the river began to produce froth, making the water unusable and poisonous. In January 2011, after the plea of the farmers’ association was set into motion, the Government passed a law where all the dyeing factories were ordered to shut. This was not only because of the dying river, but also because of the dyeing factories started to make bore-wells in the remaining water pockets of Tirupur which led to a grave water scarcity in the knit city.

Soon enough, the dyeing factories reopened in a year and a half with the condition of implementing the ZLD (Zero Liquid Discharge) system. The NTADCL (New Tirupur Area Development Corporation Limited) signed a contract with LNT (Larsen & Toubro), a Public-Private Partnership deal, and fetched water from Bhavani River in Erode. They began to supply water to all and soon the project expanded to other areas. The NTADCL, before the implementation of the law, formulated the “Third Water Scheme.” The Third Water Scheme formulated the steps to clear out the river and treat the wastewater to make it usable again. But this initiative had failed due to the lack of support by the industrialists and the Tirupur Municipality. Toxins were continuously being dumped into the river — narrowing it down to a dirty stream where no one was being able to use it.

The dyeing factories were reopened on the condition that they would no longer contaminate the river and build bore-wells to extract all the fresh water sources for industrial use. Under the governance of the late Chief Minister Jayalalitha, the industries were given an interest-free loan of over Rs 200 crore so that all would benefit from the water supply by the NTADCL.

The need to save the river is essential as the river connects to Bhavani and then to Cauvery. The effluents would then transfer to the bigger rivers, causing all the neighbouring villages, towns and cities to face the brunt of the growing industrialisation in Tirupur.

EXPORTERS’ AND MANUFACTURERS’ PERSPECTIVE:

The Noyyal River safeguarded the farmers of Tirupur and its nearby areas. With the rapid industrialisation in Tirupur, making it the Textile Capital of India, the number of dyeing factories increased to over 700. The dyeing factories earlier required 30 litres of water for one kilogram of cloth, resulting in the production of 30 litres of effluents per one kilogram of cloth release into the Noyyal River annually. With time, this began to affect the agricultural lands and the farmers’ association in Karur district demanded the clean-up of the river and a compensation for the losses they incurred. It went to the extent where coconut trees, which grasp water from the soil, gave coloured eleni (coconut water). The farmers, in search of jobs, joined dyeing factories and the other connected factories in the textile industry to fill their stomachs.

Mr. Shaktivel, Secretary of Tirupur Exporters’ Association, said that Tirupur’s livelihood revolves around garments and 85 per cent of the people are involved in the semi-sector. Over a thousand people are exporters of garments, 800 people have knitting factories, over 700 dyers and only 35 people own an integrated business — where they are dyers, manufacturers and exporters. The farmers who did not yield from farming and the street vendors were also factory workers, especially in the dyeing factories.

“There are over 7000 textile-oriented factories in Tirupur and the city is shaped because of these factories and if this is taken away from us, not only will businessmen but also the workers will lose their daily earnings,” Mr. Shaktivel said.

In January 2011, when the law was passed to shut down all the dyeing factories in Tirupur caused all the factory workers, who were previously farmers, to go back to their native lands. The law also ordered for the Orathupalayam Dam to be cleaned. Orathupalayam Dam held the effluent discharge and it is one of the 32 tanks which connect to the Noyyal River. For over a year and a half, the manufacturers resorted to building their dyeing factories in nearby areas like Perundurai and/or exporting their garments to Karnataka for dyeing.

After this period, a law was passed that the dyeing factories in Tirupur can be reopened with the condition of installing the Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) System instead of following the old methodology. The dyers would have to treat their water and recycle as much as water they use. The treatment of water in the ZLD system however is very expensive, i.e., the cost of dying one garment increased between Rs. 10 and 20. The Government encouraged CETPs (Common Effluent Treatment Plants) which meant that around five small manufacturer units make business with a dyeing factory owner where he dyes their consignments in his treatment plant.

The idea of CETPs was first initiated in Surat and it seems to be working smoothly there. The dyers get their water from New Tirupur Area Development Corporation Limited (NTADCL), a Private Public Partnership (PPP) firm. In common parlance it is known as LNT water (Larsen & Toubro) as they executed NTADCL’s plan and fixed the pipelines. The NTADCL sources its water from Bhavani River which flows through Erode where the Noyyal River meets Bhavani at Erode. The NTADCL sells water at around Rs. 30paise/litre. In order for the residents also to benefit from this, the State Government sanctioned a Rs. 200 crore interest-free loan to encourage the textile industry in Tirupur to build more CETPs, with the condition that all should be benefited with the supply of water by NTADCL. CETPs were and are still encouraged as it is cost-efficient and more water is preserved as compared to an IETP (Individual Effluent Treatment Plant).

Mr. Shaktivel claims that Tirupur has no water problem after the NTADCL stepped in. As of now, the project has been expanded to the areas surrounding Tirupur as the consumption of water has fallen drastically in Tirupur after installing the ZLD treatment plants. Over 10 crore litres per day is used daily and is recycled.

Mr. Sushil Chugh, a manufacturer and exporter of garments, owned a dyeing factory but he shut it down in 2009, before the January 2011 law. Mr. Chugh said that he sensed that there was danger in this industry as the farmers had begun to protest against the dyeing factories and shut it down before his business was affected by this. The factory workers in his dyeing factory were given jobs in his manufacturing unit and some chose to go back to their native land. He said that most of his fellow manufacturers also shut down their dyeing units around the same time and some of them suffered losses after the January 2011 law.

Mr. Chugh sends his consignments to Sinthu Textile Dying unit and follows the CETP norm. The owner of Sinthu, Mr. Senthil, said that he handles the consignments of five units. The ZLD treatment plant has reduced the water usage four times than what it was before and the sludge, which is the waste collected after treating the water, is stored and not discharged in the river.

After the dyeing factories were reopened, the wages of the factory workers increased and the ZLD system was also going smooth. Classic Polo and other major private players fulfil the norms and as of now, they are at present approaching the Government to install ZLD system in all the cities where dyeing factories are present so that the dyeing charges all over the country remain uniform. This move, in turn, will also save the rivers. Currently, there are around 20 CETPs in Tirupur. These dyeing units buy approximately 10 per cent of their water usage and recycle the remaining 90 per cent.

Mr. Shaktivel and Mr. Chugh claim that the manufacturers have fulfilled all the necessary norms according the State Government’s orders and that the condition of Tirupur as it was seven years back has improved.

DYERS’ PERSPECTIVE:

Mr B.M. Boopathi, Chief Executive Officer of Dyers’ association of Tirupur explained that as far back as the year 1984, only five dyeing factories functioned in the area. But by the time the court order came to shut down these factories in January 2011, there were around 750 of them. This exploitation of the Noyyal river’s water went on for ten years before the farmers protested against the condition of land that was left in Tirupur.

Not only had the harmful dyes used in these factories affected the river water, which flowed to Erode junction, the groundwater surrounding the river banks and in other areas had turned poisonous to an extent that the land turned completely barren.

However, in June 2012, with the emergence of Zero Liquid Discharge System (ZLDs), one by one, all the factories started coming back. “The water available here is naturally salty, which is used in the production of white coloured cloth. Then when the demand for coloured clothes increased, the dyeing began with the help of CETPs,” explained Mr Boopathi.

He further adds that there are around 18 CETPs in different parts of Tirupur to which around 300 factory units are attached. Apart from this, there are a hundred Individual Effluent Treatment Plants (IETPs) which are usually employed by medium level industrialists.

The cost for treating a litre of water in any of these plants is thirty paisa said Mr Boopathi. But there is also a production of sludge along with the treatment of this water. He explained that researches are underway to find a method that will produce zero percent sludge. A method that they are working on is the “Algae System” which they feel might come close to a solution.

They have discovered after the inception of these effluent treatment plants in 2012 that there are three kinds of sludge discharged after the water treatment process is complete. These are chemical, biological and mixtures salt/waste salt. They are sent to cement factories as raw material, fuel and to processing industries to generate sodium sulphate respectively.

The advantage of ZLDs, Mr Boopathi said, is that now the manufacturers have to purchase only 8% of the water that is required in their production. Rest of the water is the recycled water that comes back to the factory. Around ten crore litres of water is recycled and reused daily. This, in turn, ensures that the general public has ample water supply. Indirectly, because of ZLDs, the public is getting benefitted.

The 8% water that is still being purchased is at a rate of Rs 80 per kilo litre. Adding the cost of treating the already present water, the overall rates just keep on going higher. In that case, to reimburse the loss incurred in production, the price of the finished goods gets higher which the general public has to pay. To that, Mr Boopathi said, “A zero cost treatment plan programme is in the process. Half of the treatment and buying of water is already free; another fifty percent is to be implemented to save cost of energy. If the cost of energy required is taken down by four percent, the final price of the garment will automatically go down.”

All the industrialists involved in this process want a greener technology as opposed to what is currently in place. There is also a rampant growth of illegal dyeing units in the area who do not follow any of the norm set by the government or the environmental board.

“There is no knowing of how many such plants exist. When we are trying to save the river, there are such illegal factory owners who are still dumping their wastes in it, without treating it,” said Mr Boopathi.

INDUSTRIAL IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT:

Mr Rajesh Govindarajalu, a Rotary Social Activist who has been working tirelessly on conserving the Noyyal River for a long time now said, “How do we restore the Noyyal River? That is a good question. Taking initiative or even asking this question is a good start.”

He says that clearing the banks littered with muck, trash and encroachers is the need of the hour. Planting trees that have a strong root base, that will ensure afforestation, should be identified. Another good move would be to plant trees on the mouths of the channels through which sewage material enters the river, he added. “We need to recharge the river so that it flows again. Create a biodiversity that will provide a naturally safe environment for the river to flourish in,” he said.

Bamboos are the best bet to replenish the river and the land as its roots go deep in the ground and hold the soil together which prevents soil erosion. This will ensure that some fertility returns to the land to make it fit for agriculture.

“We also need to clean the small dams that surround this area that provide water to these tributaries and rivers and wait for the rains to come so that they will provide natural, fresh water to the biodiversity that we want to create here for Noyyal to survive and to revive Tirupur,” said Mr Govindarajalu.

Urging the youngsters to use all tools at their disposal, he concluded that there is a need to increase awareness about this issue and bring back the land.

CONCLUSION:

The presence of dyeing factories in Tirupur has caused irreparable damage in some parts of the city. The land, soil, water, fields have all sustained long-term effects. Chemicals like nitrogen peroxide that are to be handled carefully were for the longest time left untreated in the river.

The way to save this dying river from the effects of the dyeing factories is by restoring it to its former state. Also, Noyyal River flows only three to four months in a year, which used to be sufficient before. Now the river has reduced to nothing more than a drain, with its width getting reduced as the banks get crowded with muck and disposed off industrial waste and other garbage. Due to this, the river no longer flows. It has become stagnant and is full of solid wastes that even the aquatic life of the river died a long time back.

The textile industries here have to follow the norms laid out for them to reduce the stress put on Noyyal. A lot of employment problems for the villagers who are skilled farmers will be ensured and their jobs will be given back to them.

As there is no fertile land available for these farmers to practice their traditional form of livelihood, they turned to these dyeing factories to work and after the law was passed in 2011, several of these factories closed down which left these labourers unemployed, because of which they moved back to their native villages or somewhere else around the country in search of jobs. Restore the river and the land, restore the people.

NGOs like Siruthalai have been working towards restoring the river ever since the law passed to conserve Noyyal in 2011. However, the river does not look any better off than what it used to be. No bamboo trees or plans of biodiversity growth can be seen near the river. In the six years that have since passed, only about fifty percent of the original workers have returned to work as the factory employees.

Based on the claims of the two hundred crore loan being sanctioned by the State Government, a check should be done as to how much of the money given actually went into building the effluent treatment plants and other units. A breakdown of this loan should be made by the associations involved in the industries at Tirupur and submitted and made a public record.

Another aspect that emerged from this reporting was that the legit factories actually abide by the laws, but it does not seem sufficient. The law lacks to protect these stakeholders from illegal companies. When reports of such companies issue, the authorities tear it down. But there is no follow up done on such illegal factory owners as they start a new plant in a new area.

The aftermath of this practice is borne by the earth as these factories destroy each pockets of land where they start, and then when they move on to other strips of land. Their lack of concern towards the land should be our major concern. Since the land in and around Tirupur is a rocky terrain, it only provides a level playing field for factories.

But we should also look at measures and law reforms that would protect the original dwellers of any area and ensure that no new development is robbing them off their fair share of land. For Tirupur farmers, it seems like a bleak future ahead in terms of getting their land back from being barren to fertile. All the sources agreed that this project might take at least ten years.

But the question still remains — is it too late for Noyyal River?

SOURCES:

1. Mr. Sushil Chugh, M.D., Rashi Knit — 9369154990

2. Mr. Shaktivel, Secretary of Tirupur Exporters’ Association — 9842717957

3. Mr. B.M. Boopathi, Chief Executive Officer, Dyers’ Association of Tirupur

4. Mr. Rajesh Govindarajulu, Rotary Social Activist — 9244403188

5. Mr. Babu, Employee at Rashi Knit

6. Mr. Anwar, Employee at Rashi Knit

7. Mr. Gigi Cherian, Businessman