TIRUPPUR: Water pollution has always been attributed to dyeing industries. But, garment printing units also contribute in a major way by letting out untreated effluent into the sewage system. The issue has come into focus now as the sector is getting back on its feet after the Covid-19-induced economic crisis.
Tamil Nadu Science Forum (Executive member) A Eswaran told TNIE, "A large number of screen printing units are in Tiruppur city and most of these discharge effluent into the sewers. While large units have recycling plants, medium and small-sized units do not. Several units are located in residential areas like Samundipuram, KVR Nagar, Moscow Nagar, which are thickly populated.” He added that despite lodging complaints, the units do not stop the practice. Though the discharge is not in large volume, there should be a system to treat the effluent and keep the environment safe, he noted.
A printing unit owner said, "Prints on the garments is an important value addition process. There are many kinds of garment printing units that use many kinds of printing techniques - placement printing, allover printing, digital printing, heat seal printing etc. Of these, the placement printing technique and allover printing involve the usage of chemicals. These are added to the screen which embosses the design or colour pattern on the garment. During the printing process, these screens are cleaned for applying new colour using water. But, after cleaning the residue, water from the screen contains chemicals."
If the printing unit has an Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) or recycling plants, the water is cleaned and recycled. If not, it is drained out of the facility which pollutes the neighbourhoods or water bodies, he pointed out.
Tiruppur Export Knit Printers Association (TEKPA) President TR Srikant said, "There are over 700 printing units in the district and we have instructed all units to follow recycling procedures and install small-sized effluent treatment units within their premises. Further, most of the printing chemicals are not severely hazardous. Some chemicals used for printing are prescribed by the exported companies for export. During the lockdown period, a lot of printing units did not receive payment from garment units and they were in serious financial problems. Because of this, they had not installed effluent treatment plans and license renewal process. Following this, there were closure notices issued during an inspection by officials from the pollution control board."
When contacted, an official from Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) said the board, in 2021, issued a closure notice to 40 units in the district for violating norms. "We received complaints from several residents and after inspection, issued closure notices to more than 40 units in 2021. These small-scale units with a turnover below `1 crore per year do not have recycling plants. During the inspection, many also did not have licenses. We have issued a warning to them. We have also planned to conduct awareness programmes for implementing recycling plants in these units."