Garment unit `discharging untreated effluent’
Hindu, India
K. Manikandan
Polluted water finding its way to Kadaperi water bodies
TAMBARAM : Residents of Kadaperi are furious with a garment unit of the Madras Export Processing Zone Special Economic Zone (MEPZ – SEZ), which they say has been discharging untreated effluent for the past two days.
Residents pointed out to the dark blue effluent flowing from the Zone on MES Road through storm water drains and said this had become an annual feature during the monsoon.
Officials of the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, Tambaram Municipality and those in MEPZ – SEZ said a detailed investigation would be conducted and appropriate steps would be taken.
Prakash Kumar, a resident of Kadaperi, said around 11 a.m. on Wednesday, a huge volume of the untreated effluents started gushing out of the storm water drains outside the compound wall of the MEPZ.
The effluent found its way into the Kadeperi lake and Kadeperi Tank after flowing through storm drains running adjacent to MES Road, Thomas Street and Kulakkarai Street. Residents tried to prevent the effluent from flowing out of the MEPZ premises by piling mud near the drains, but the flow was too strong.
L.R. Chezhian, All India Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam councillor of Ward No. 2 of Tambaram Municipality, said the problem originated from a garment export unit inside MEPZ. Along with officials belonging to the Sanitary Department of Tambaram Municipality, they conducted an inspection of facilities at the garment unit and noticed that the primary treatment plant did not function.
As a result, effluents entered storm water drains and drained into water bodies in Kadaperi. Senior officials at MEPZ said there was a Common Treatment Plant, but that was meant only for treatment of sewage from the units.
The recycled water from this Plant was used for gardening and other purposes. As far as effluent treatment was concerned, it was entirely the responsibility of the respective units to treat and dispose of the same.
The units should not discharge effluents into the open inside the MEPZ or through storm water drains, the officials said.
A representative of the garment unit acknowledged the problem and said that the treatment plant did not function as it was flooded due to the recent heavy rains.
However, they had taken measure to stop the problem from getting aggravated and were coordinating with government agencies to avert a recurrence of the problem.
