Illegal textile processing units pose a threat to farm sector in the region The discharge of untreated effluents into the waterways in the district has increased substantially in the last few weeks as many unauthorised textile processing units have come up in Erode and its suburbs. Though the district administration and the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board claim that they are closely monitoring the situation, more and more units are being established as textile processing offers attractive returns. After the closure of several dyeing units in Tirupur based on the directions of Madras High Court, many garment-making units are forced to send the clothes to cities like Ludhiana and Surat for processing incurring huge expenditure. Many persons here turned this situation to their advantage by setting up illegal units and carrying out processes like dyeing and bleaching at rates that were comparatively lower than the cost of processing in other cities. “As a result, there is a huge demand for doing textile processing in Erode. Persons pay huge rent to those who have lands close to the water carrying channels and establish illegal processing units. These units make huge profit,” says the promoter of a textile unit here. “During raids, we found a few persons who repeatedly establish illegal units in the district because it is most profitable,” admits a senior official in the district. Illegal units The continuous operation of illegal units, however, poses serious threat to the agriculture sector in the district. The units dump thousands of gallons of untreated, toxic effluents in the waterways and rivers. “Some of the units in Choolai and BP Agraharam let out the untreated effluents in the drains,” points out T. Ravichandran, a resident here. “The polluted water ends up in arable lands, affecting the crop yield. In many areas in Bhavani block, the yield has come down drastically due to the increasing pollution levels,” points out district secretary of Tamil Nadu Farmers’ Association T. Subbu. “We have been fighting against polluting industrial units for the past several years. But, there seems to be no solution to the problem. “Officials claim that they initiate action against the erring units. But the waterways still carry untreated effluents. “If the officials have controlled pollution levels, then how come toxic effluents flow into the channels frequently?,” asks Mr. Subbu. When asked, officials in the TNPCB said that they had demolished a number of polluting textile processing units and were monitoring the situation closely. Polluted water flows into arable lands Crop yield hit by inflow of effluents