Pollution board to go in for new norms for textile industry

Vijay Mohan
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, September 14

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) will develop new standards and emission control norms for the textile industry to cater to the emerging ecological challenges and strengthen environmental compliance.

Under a study that is expected to take about two years, the CPCB, in collaboration with other agencies, private entities and stake holders, will examine the environmental and technical problems being faced by the textile industry, asses air, water, noise and soil pollution, develop standards that can be achieved techno-economically by the industry and identify optimum pollution control systems.

Textiles sector is the second largest industry and employer in India, making up about 14 per cent of the world’s production. Generating over 20 per cent of the employment in India, it accounts for 27 per cent of India’s foreign exchange earnings and forms 14 per cent of the total industrial production and four per cent of the GDP.

To develop and revise industrial standards and evolve best techniques, the CPCB has also approached German organisations like the Bonn-based German Corporation for International Cooperation and the German Federal Environment Agency, sources said.

According to a CPCB official, the status of the textile manufacturing industry, its distribution and various types or processes and technologies would be studied in-depth.

The purpose of the project is developing clean technology for reduction of pollution after considering the capital, operational and environmental costs and also to refine and update enforcement directives to strengthen regulatory mechanism, the official said. The study will also suggest cost effective process modifications, use of alternative environment-friendly raw materials and recycling or recovery of materials, he added.

The aim

• To examine environmental and technical problems being faced by the textile industry
• Asses air, water, noise and soil pollution and develop standards that can be achieved techno-economically by the industry