Dyeing units main ‘culprit’ in polluting Buddha Nullah

ludhiana, the industrial capital of Punjab, is mainly known for its cycle and textile industry. The extent to which the textile and hosiery industry is spread across the city, has earned it the title ‘Manchester of India’.

Hosiery and textile industries in themselves are largely environment-friendly as there are no polluting waste or toxic by-products, but the dyeing industry, which is linked with hosiery and textiles, is said to be the prime reason for the pollution in Buddha Nullah and the river Satluj into which it merges.

Why is dyeing industry hazardous

The dyeing process involves the use of different chemicals and other ingredients that can be toxic. The waste discharged from such industries include heavy metals and synthetic dyes, which percolate into the soil and water bodies, posing health risks to humans and the ecosystem.

Metals like copper, arsenic, lead, cadmium, mercury, nickel and cobalt, and chemicals like formaldehyde, chlorinated stain removers and hydrocarbon-based softeners are commonly used. These can cause skin and respiratory disorders as well as cancer, besides contaminating water and affecting soil fertility and plant growth.

How big is the industry

Being the hosiery and textile hub, the dyeing industry cannot be wished away. There are about 300 dyeing industrial units in the area, employing about 50,000 to 60,000 people.

Bobby Jindal, from Punjab Dyers Association, told The Tribune that the industry was providing “huge revenue to the state exchequer in the form of GST. “The average turnover of a dyeing unit is approximately Rs 15 crore and there are around 300 units. So one can imagine how huge the industry is as far as the turnover is concerned,” he said.

Kamal Chauhan, an owner of a dyeing unit, said the entire hosiery, textile and dyeing industry was inter-linked and supplied the final product in domestic and overseas markets.

What is the challenge

Though members of the dyeing industry have always been denying their role in polluting the once clean Buddha Nullah, there is no denying the fact that it started getting polluted with toxic chemicals after the dyeing industry started in Ludhiana around 1980.

Notwithstanding their denial, the dyeing industry seems to be quite callous towards the environmental hazard it has caused. The owners are still not prepared to take responsibility and are trying to pass the buck on to the government.

The general opinion among people in Ludhiana is that the dyeing industry, as also the electroplating industry, has been mainly responsible for causing pollution in the Buddha Nullah. The industry did not take the necessary protective measures and safeguards in time, but has always managed to wriggle out of the situation when confronted.

The Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), which is supposed to enforce the environmental norms, has been found wanting in performing its duties. There are serious allegations against the PPCB officials for turning a blind eye to the hazard that has been caused right under their nose. It is said that Ludhiana is considered to be the most “lucrative” posting in the PPCB, which comes with a lot of string-pulling.

What needs to be done

Members of the industry claim that the government, instead of resorting to harsh measures against them, should find a way out where the industry survives without harming the environment.

Strict enforcement of the environmental regulations is required, with each dyeing unit having its own effluent treatment plant. Leave aside that, most dyeing units have been found flouting the norms and have not even been using the common effluent treatment plants (CETPs). Some units were even found to have bored deep wells and were found to be flushing the effluents deep into the soil without any checks.

There are three CETPs in Ludhiana for processing the toxic discharge from the dyeing industry, but recent findings by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) revealed that the three CETPs are not complying with norms. The CPCB directed that these plants must be stopped from discharging the dyeing waste into the Buddha Nullah.

The strict measure by CPCB came following a writ petition filed by the Public Action Committee, an NGO working for cleaning the Buddha Nullah and for protection of environment.

“We came up with the CETPs with the consent of the government and now if these are not complying with the norms or are not meeting the guidelines, the government should come forward with solutions. Shutting the CETP means that the dyeing industry will be closed down,” Jindal remarked.

Ludhiana