Tex Talk

Uneasy calm in Tirupur

P S Sundar

This columnist witnessed an uneasy calm in Tirupur recently. It is not the lack of sell orders but the prevalence of a court order which is troubling the knitwear manufacturers. Although they are busy catering to export orders for Diwali, they admitted to the uncertainty prevailing in the context of the court order, relating to installation of water purification system for effluent treatment. The day the water from the Orathupalayam dam was released to the Tirupur-Erode-Karur belt, the common man’s sympathy towards the dyeing units of Tirupur evapourated. The water was loaded with dangerous chemicals, being carried by Noyyal River passing through Tirupur.

The officials took all precautions to ensure that the water was not used for drinking, irrigation or washing purposes by the villagers. To prevent them from using it, they propagated all sorts of messages against the dyeing units of Tirupur.

Now these dyeing units don’t know what to do. On one hand, they have to satisfy the court order, on the other, their image has been irreparably damaged. On top of this, they are complaining of lack of funds for the installation of the Reverse Osmosis (RO) process claimed to be the answer for treating the water to zero-pollution level. The Madras High Court has not been pleased with the developments in Tirupur right from the beginning. That is why, after telling observations, the court ordered the closure of as many as 571 of the 737 dyeing units in Tirupur. While it allowed units which had installed the Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs) to function, on a later stage, it allowed those units which remitted 25 per cent of the cost to function on condition that they proceed for the installation work soon. Consequently, 493 such units got a new lease of life. Thus, along with the 166 units already functioning, the total number of dyeing units now in operation is 659. This helped the revival of the knitwear manufacture in Tirupur, but every one knows that the functioning cannot be taken for granted unless the RO is installed. Meanwhile, the industrialists, supported by their political leaders, have been pressing the Centre and the Tamil Nadu government to give them a subsidy of 25 per cent each. The state government seems to be not all that committed. The Union environment minister has told the manufacturers in Tirupur that his ministry has not received any detailed report on the action proposed by the state government. With all this, there is a little prospect of the Centre’s share of 25 per cent also flowing in. Considering that around Rs 500 crore is required for the installation of CETPs with ROs in Tirupur, the industrialists there are in a fix without an assured assistance from the state and Union governments. The manufactures are telling the court that they would need more time as they are examining a proposal from Russia.

The new hope has come from the scientists and policy makers of Russia’s Khrunichev Centre and Moscow’s Physical Institute which have explained to the dyers the Electro Dynamic (ED) technology which is claimed to be better than the RO. An eight-member delegation from Russia visited Tirupur recently and told the manufacturers that they didn’ have to make any initial investment and need not go for RO at all. They have to only purchase water at less than 3 paise per litre. In return, the water will be treated, the effluents removed and the reusable water supplied. The dyers are mentionably impressed but, since the Russian technology needs a government approval they are waiting for the necessary clearance.