Due to breaches of air and water pollution standards, dyeing and printing operations in Punjab, India, are at risk of shutdown. The Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) has issued notifications to more than two dozen dyeing and printing businesses for failing to install appropriate equipment to reduce air pollution from solid fuel furnaces. In addition, three dyeing units were discovered to be releasing untreated polluted water.
The PPCB’s Superintendent Engineer, Harbir Singh, informed the media in Ludhiana last week that the Board had visited around 50 dyeing plants in and around Ludhiana. Half of them were not using Fluidized Bed Combustion (FBC) technology, which is proven to reduce air pollution from solid fuel.
Nonetheless, a dozen units are in the process of adopting FBC technology, with the installation expected to be completed by the end of June 2023. Other units, on the other hand, may face PPCB closure orders if they do not comply.
According to Ashok Makkad, president of the Ludhiana Dyeing Plants Association, some plants were burning plastic, scrap, and waste materials as alternatives to coal, pet coke, and rice bran, exacerbating the problem of air pollution. Owners of smaller dyeing plants, on the other hand, claimed that the expense of adding FBC technology, estimated at roughly 7 lakhs, was out of their financial reach, especially given the previous year’s slump season. Ludhiana is thought to have over 300 dyeing facilities.
PPCB personnel also conducted raids on dyeing companies in Ludhiana to investigate water treatment plants. Three dyeing plants were discovered dumping untreated wastewater into open drainage systems. This action was conducted in response to complaints, and the inspection team was directed by Sandeep Bahal, the PPCB’s chief engineer located in Ludhiana. The team’s report has been sent to the PPCB chairman, who may order the closure of these units as a result.
Ludhiana is a key location for grey fabric dyeing and processing, with hundreds of factories manufacturing finished fabric utilised by garment companies in Punjab and other northern Indian states.
