India’s ‘plywood capital’ adding to pollution woes

Shiv Kumar Sharma

Often dubbed the ‘plywood capital of India’, Yamunanagar provides employment to thousands of people as several plywood units are located here. However, air pollution, domestic and trade effluents being generated by this industry is posing a threat to the environment and causing health hazards.

No strict effort has been made by the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) so far to tackle air and water pollution. As a result, a number of plywood units are operating without adequate pollution control devices.

“The owners of a number of plywood units have not adopted adequate pollution control measures in their factories, thereby violating the directions of the National Green Tribunal issued from time to time,” says Jai Chand Chauhan, state president of Haryana Backward and Majdoor Kranti Morcha and an RTI activist.

He said the plywood units need glue, which is used as pasting or adhesive material to manufacture boards.

He said most of the plywood units have glue-making plants and they produce glue in a kettle using urea (fertiliser). After production of the glue, the kettle is washed using water, which is drained outside the factories in the open, causing pollution and even groundwater contamination in several cases.

According to information, Yamunanagar district has 409 plywood units. Residential quarters for labourers have been constructed on the premises of several factories.

As per guidelines issued by the government from time to time, domestic effluents should be treated by using septic tank with a soak pit or installing sewage treatment plant.

But a number of factories have neither installed sewage treatment plants nor made proper septic tanks for domestic effluents.

Similarly, effluent treatment plants are needed to dispose all types of trade pollutants. After the production of the glue, the kettle is washed using water and that chemically mixed water should be treated in effluent treatment plants.

“Several plywood units don’t have sewage treatment plants (or proper septic tanks with soak pit) and effluent treatment plants. They use illegal tankers for the disposal of trade as well as domestic effluents. With the help of tankers, they drain out effluents in the open and in nearby drains,” a source said.

According to information, a large number of plywood units exist in the MC area and a number of these are discharging effluents without treatment in the sewerage, which may affect the performance of STPs installed by government agencies.

Besides, a number of plywood units generate air emission from boilers as well as thermopack, because they are being run without adequate air pollution control devices, including wet scrubber.

“The authorities of Haryana State Pollution Control Board are mum on stopping the pollution and they are not doing proper monitoring,” Chauhan said.

Besides lodging complaints to local authorities of the HSPCB, the affected people send complaints to NGT as well.

Passing an order on October 16, 2019, Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel and members of the National Green Tribunal had asked the authorities of HSPCB to look into a complaint against a plywood factory of Yamunanagar district and furnish a factual and action taken report in the matter.

The complainant alleged that a plywood factory was causing air and groundwater pollution in Sarawa, Kanipala, Pando and Raiwala villages in Yamunanagar district.

JK Bihani, president, Haryana Plywood Manufacturers’ Association, Yamunanagar district, said almost all plywood units falling under the Municipal Corporation (MC) area had taken sewerage connections.

Besides, the plywood units being run from outside the Municipal Corporation area have constructed pucca septic tanks on its premises to dispose domestic sewage.

He said after cleaning kettle, the waste water is either reused or put in concrete made tanks, so that the urea content can be collected in the tank after evaporation of water.

“If any person is running plywood unit in violation of norms laid by the Centre as well as the state governments to protect the environment, our association doesn’t support such person,” says JK Bihani.

Nirmal Kumar Kashyap, regional officer, Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB), Yamunanagar, said action was taken against units found spreading air and water pollution. “There are two modes of conducting checks at industrial units, including plywood factories. We can check any industrial unit when we get a complaint against any factory through CM’s Window or through Deputy Commissioner or higher authorities of the government. Similarly, we get the names of eight to 10 industrial units every month from our head office to conduct mandatory monthly inspection,” says Nirmal Kumar.

‘Units sans adequate pollution-control measures’

The owners of a number of plywood units have not adopted adequate pollution- control measures in their factories, thereby violating the directions of the National Green Tribunal issued from time to time. The plywood units need glue, which is used as pasting or adhesive material to manufacture boards. Most of the plywood units have glue-making plants and they produce glue in a kettle using urea (fertiliser). After production of the glue, the kettle is washed using water, which is drained outside the factories in the open, causing pollution and even groundwater contamination in several cases. — Jai Chand Chauhan, State president of Haryana Backward and Majdoor Kranti Morcha and an RTI activist

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