Vaniyambadi: RO plants, evaporators installed at effluent plants

It will help in preventing groundwater and land pollution

VANIYAMBADI: Reverse osmosis (RO) plants and mechanical evaporators have been installed at four common effluent treatment plants situated at Vaniyambadi and Ambur and are ready to be commissioned. Work on installing the facility at Pernambut plant is in the process.

Officials of the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) said the RO plants and mechanical evaporators will help in preventing groundwater and land pollution.

There are a total of 252 tanneries and five common effluent treatment plants in Vaniyambadi, Ambur and Pernambut areas.

“The five plants have 209 member units, while there are 20 individual effluent treatment plants. Trial run of the RO plants and mechanical evaporators at the four common effluent treatment plants is going on and are in the commissioning stage,” an official of TNPCB said.

The move comes in the wake of tanneries exceeding the pollution control norms in the discharge of total dissolved solids, sulphates and chlorides through the common effluent treatment plants, he said.

“Now, the tanneries are not meeting the standards in discharging total dissolved solids, sulphates and chlorides. They are exceeding the limits prescribed, thereby causing groundwater and land pollution. This is why they have been asked to install the RO plants and mechanical evaporators. Once the facility is commissioned at each of the plants, the waste water need not be discharged out but can be recycled and used for processing activities,” he explained.

TNPCB has been regularly monitoring the common effluent treatment plants and collecting and analysing samples discharged from the plants.

He said that it was through analysing samples that TNPCB found that total dissolved solids, sulphates and chlorides were being exceedingly discharged.

With the common effluent treatment plants functioning, the RO plants and mechanical evaporators will signify the adoption of advanced treatment system, the official pointed out.

From THE HINDU