KRISHNAGIRI: Hours after Tata Electronics issued a press statement claiming Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) had confirmed that its operations are compliant with environmental norms and had dropped further action, Krishnagiri Collector C Dinesh Kumar said the farmlands near company’s iPhone manufacturing facility in Hosur have not been affected by contaminated water from the plant.
The district collector also said the company has been asked to construct a canal to drain rainwater from its compound bypassing the farms around.
The statement issued by the company said, “Levels of Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), and other parameters are within acceptable environmental limits.”
The TNPCB had issued a show-cause notice to the company on May 25 as part of standard regulatory procedure. Tata Electronics subsequently commissioned through an accredited laboratory an independent analysis, the results of which also indicated all parameters were within prescribed limits.
TNIE on May 26 reported that four farmers of Ullukurukkai village in Denkanikottai taluk alleged treated sewage water from the facility was polluting their farmland and affecting their livelihood.
One of the affected farmers, P Pushparaj, told TNIE, “We have been flagging the issue since last December, and now the company is downplaying the issue by just saying that the water flow to the fields is due to a breach in a rainwater storage unit. The Krishnagiri collector had assured to check the soil health in the area and take necessary steps.”
Meanwhile, talking to TNIE on Wednesday, the collector added the district administration will monitor and take necessary action on any violation without bias
Despite attempts, TNPCB district environmental engineer, Krishnagiri, C Muthuraj was unavailable for comment.