THE RIVER NOYYAL
The Noyyal rises from the Vellingiri hills in the Western Ghats
and covers a total area of 0.35 million ha, the basin is 180
km long and 25 km wide. Cultivated land in the basin amounts
to 0.18 million ha and the population density of the basin is
120 persons/ sq.km in the countryside, and 1000 persons/ sq.km
in the cities. During Northeast monsoon this 173-km long tributary
of the Cauvery, can fill up 32 eries (tanks).
Industrial effluents have already compromised agriculture in
this basin by grossly polluting both the groundwater and the
river. Today, the Noyyal that gives life to the arid Tirupur
region is also said to be a dead river.
The Noyyal, being a seasonal river with a peak flow only during
monsoon plays reluctant host the rest of the year to untreated
sewage and industrial effluents from Coimbatore and Tirupur,
the two main cities in its basin. Tirupur's textile industry
uses bleaching liquids, soda ash, caustic soda, sulphuric acid,
hydrochloric acid, sodium peroxide, and various dyes and chemicals
for its dyeing and bleaching processes. Other harmful substances
include a number of dyes, many based on benzidine structures
or heavy metals, both known to be toxic." Most of these
chemicals are not retained in the finished hosiery goods, but
are discharged as wastewater. The wastewater is acidic, smells
terrible and contains dissolved solids, which increase the biological
and chemical oxygen demand in water. With no freshwater available
for dilution the groundwater from Coimbatore and Tiruppur is
no longer suited for irrigation.
The effects of this pollution are becoming evident. Coconut
cultivation has slumped because of the high saline-sodium nature
waste that hardens irrigation water. In addition, about 1500
tonnes of colouring agents are used each year, one-fifth of
which is flushed into water amounting to one ton per day. Local
groundwater has become brackish and considerably harder over
the past 10-15 years.
According to the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution)
Act of 1974, every industry is required to get consent to discharge
its effluents. However, the same Act also empowers state governments
to exempt any region or area from the provisions of the Act.
Thus, an exempt industry does not have to either bother with
effluent discharge standards or apply for a license. This special
status was granted to Tirupur in order to promote its textile
units. The results of the PSB's greed-driven largesse can be
seen floating as scum on the Noyyal.
Moreover, the appointment of the chairpersons of the state pollution
control board (PCB) is a political one. So, when any government
wishes to turn a blind eye to a polluting industry, it can ensure
of compliance from the PCB. Tirupur is a case in point. In its
eagerness to promote the textile industry, the Tamil Nadu government
conveniently overlooked all the damage its actions would cause
to the area's groundwater, to the Noyyal, and to agriculture
in the region. Since then on protests by the people the industry
and the government have only been passing the buck to each other
as the reason for the delay in the measures for pollution control.
Finally pressure from the civil society and judicial intervention
led the TNPCB to insist on effluent treatment facilities in
Tirupur. As a result 424 dyeing units have constructed ETPs
and 288 dyeing units are connected to 8 CETPs in Tirupur. Sadly,
neither the Tirupur industry nor the state government has considered
changing either the production process itself or the raw materials.
The industry has opposed the 'polluter pays' principle on the
grounds that the foreign exchange they earn and the employment
their industry generates is enough to warrant a high level of
subsidies. The 'polluter pays' principle, upheld by the Supreme
Court, implies that in the case of pollution, a party either
bears the full cost of its activities or else shuts shop.
In both the Bhavani and the Noyyal basins, the state has responded
to the pollution crisis at the eleventh hour. While the state
pollution control board's belated actions and a vigilant civil
society may still save the two rivers, several questions arise
from this tangle. Can a state's industrial policy ignore other
sections of society? Should a pollution control board act only
after the civil society has pointed out the results of its inadequacies?
While there is some hope in the Bhavani basin, answers are wanting
in the Noyyal basin.