Tamil Nadu - Erode   

No effluent discharge into Kalingarayna canal: Tanners

R. Sundaram

Out of 38 tanneries, 37 have installed RO plants

ERODE: "We are not against farmers or agriculture. We too have farmlands in Kalingarayan ayacut area. We do not discharge effluents into the Kalingarayan canal or any other water sources," said President of the Erode Tannery Owners Association K. Mohamed Hyder on Saturday.

"Out of 38 tanneries in Erode, 37 have installed reverse osmosis plants. Remaining one will finish the installation process in 10 or 15 days," he said.

Tanneries have even installed updated technology of Nano Filtration System, which was not mandatory according to Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board norms, Hyder said. One or two tanneries were discharging very limited quantity of treated effluents, which would not affect the surroundings.

Apart from this, Energy Meter along with the Electro Magnetic Flow meters have been installed in the tanneries, which cannot be manipulated. But it needed heavy investment.

"We are proud to say that Erode is the first district in Tamil Nadu where the tanners are complying all sorts of the requirements by the Madras High Court and also the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board. Tanners of Erode are treating the effluents effectively". He also said the tanners were ready to invite farmers and officials to their tanneries to show their treatment plants. He pointed out that they were using only green chemicals, which have non-toxic contents.

"The treated water will be like crystal clear mineral water. So they use it again for tanning.'' Tanneries were even using treated water for farming and in fish ponds.

Most of the tanneries were properly maintaining R.O. input meters, out put meters, reject management meters, soak liquor meters, flow control meters and lagoon. "The sludge was using as fertilisers before. But now farmers were reluctant to use it."

On behalf of the Erode Tannery Owners Association, they have purchased 12-acre site near Perundurai where after getting approval from Government would deposit sludge bags.

Mohamed Hyder said they were taking all efforts to prove that they were friends of farmers and public, though the installation of sophisticated machineries to treat the effluents incurring minimum 30 percent extra expenses.

Every year, leather worth Rs. 350 crore has been tanned in Erode. Some tanners were also exporting the leather under Deemed Export system.

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