Paper industries in Sathyamangalam taluk have been instructed to put in place preventive measures to block discharge of untreated effluent outside their premises. Of the 12 paper industries, six are into craft paper manufacture and the rest constitute newsprint and white paper making units. While craft paper making units are expected to follow a mechanism to reuse treated and untreated water, newsprint and white paper industries are required to reuse 75 per cent of waste water for process, and the rest for onland irrigation. They draw fresh water to recompense for the 25 per cent waste and evaporation losses. Since most of the industries recycle waste paper, there are bound to be wastes of plastic that is used to cover notebooks and books. The industries have initiated measures to supply the waste plastic to cement industries, official sources said. While paper industries are stated to be eco-friendly - since use of waste paper obviates need for large-scale felling of trees, and even the sludge generated is not a hazardous waste - the units came to negative notice by the local public in the last two years when effluent stored inside came out with the run-off rain water, due to heavy rainfall during the monsoon months. Earlier this year, there were complaints of untreated effluent being released out in Ikkarai Thathapalli, Pudupperkadavu, othamangalam, Rajan Nagar and Vidivelli areas. The public resorted to road blockades warranting intervention by Revenue and Pollution Control Board authorities. According to official sources, all the 12 mills have individual effluent treatment plants, some with advanced dissolved air floatation and diffused airators. However, the units had not done enough to stop infiltration of untreated effluent with the run-off rain water that empty into the Bhavani river. Chairing a meeting of representatives of paper mills, District Collector S. Prabakar directed them to raise the walls of ETP, and to construct storm water drainages inside the premises. At the local level, the Tahsildar, Deputy Superintendent of Police and Pollution Control Board official had studied the public complaint and had advocated more attention on the part of industries in blocking untreated effluent from coming out. Official sources said the public complaints have surfaced during the last two years since there was heavy downpour, and hence, the meeting was to prevail upon the industries anticipate and prevent uncontrolled discharge of effluent in order to prevent strict action.