Ballari's jeans dyeing units face closure for not setting up effluent treatment plants

Ballari: The Ballari office of the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) has recommended that the jeans dyeing units here should be shut as they have failed to set up effluent treatment plants (ETPs) or at least a common effluent treatment plant (CETP).

The Ballari office has written to the head office in Bengaluru in this regard. The latter is likely to issue closure orders soon for the units, putting in peril the livelihood of hundreds of workers in these units. 

The factories let out the effluents without processing them into the water bodies, causing water and environmental pollution. 

The KSPCB has issued notices to the jeans dyeing units multiple times to set up ETPs or a CETP, but to no avail. 

In fact, owners of the dyeing units were summoned to KSPCB’s head office in Bengaluru and discussions were held with them on setting up ETPs or a CETP. Yet, they  failed to set up the treatment plants. 

Power connections to the dyeing units will be cut once KSPCB issues the closure orders, bringing them to a grinding halt. 

They will be permitted to resume operations only after ETPs or a CETP are set up and a compliance report is submitted.

On January 16 this year, Upa Lokayukta Justice B Veerappa had visited the apparel park at Mundargi, only to see untreated effluents being let out without being treated. 

He was reportedly expressed disappointment against officials of the KSPCB and the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board. 

Following this, worried owners of the jeans dyeing units had voluntarily shut operations. However, the units had resumed functioning after some time.