KOCHI: Naas Plywood Industries, functioning at Allapra near Perumbavoor, has set an example for plywood manufacturers in the area by winning the award instituted by State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) for ‘best practices in managing and disposing waste’.
This is the second time Naas Plywood has won the PCB award, for adhering to environment-friendly norms and taking up pollution-reduction activities. The award has come as a double delight for M M Nizar, owner of the firm, at a time when the majority of plywood manufactures in the area continue to pollute the environment, especially the Periyar.
The untreated effluents discharged into rivulets contaminate drinking water resources. Also, the public, primarily the migrant labourers working in the area, continuously face the threat of contracting communicable diseases.
Speaking to Express, Nizar said the honour was a reward for the company’s social responsibility. “We have taken utmost care to practice environment-friendly activities. A special dust collecting equipment has been installed for filtering dust. It makes life easier for the people living in the area, who are constantly exposed to pollutants discharged from industrial units,” he said.
“The 80-metre boiler chimney at the unit keeps the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere within the permitted level. We also have a mechanism to separate ash from smoke, and to collect the ash in a tank. The organic farm, bio-gas plant and waste water treatment system minimise the environmental impact,” said Nizar.