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Recycling of tannery waste water -- US agency to fund TNPCB to conduct feasibility study

Our Bureau

CHENNAI, Nov. 26

THE United State Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) signed an agreement by which it would provide $180,000 to the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) for carrying out a feasibility study for recycling and reusing waste water from tanneries.

The agreement was signed by the US Consul General, Mr Bernard Alter, for USTDA and the Chairperson of the TNPCB, Ms Sheela Rani Chunkath.

According to Ms Chunkath, the study would also look at the way the problem of the total dissolved solids (TDS) could be sorted in the treated tannery effluents.

Through the construction of 12 common and 194 individual effluent treatment plants, the leather industry in the State has been able to meet all the other parameters, according to her. However, meeting the standards of TDS has been found difficult.

If, through the study, a way to solve the TDS is found, then it would be a model not only for the tanning clusters in the country but also those in the other developing countries.

Mr Pongalur N. Palanisamy, the Tamil Nadu Minister for Youth and Pollution Control, said that while the expected TDS standard was 2,100 parts per million, the values achieved by the leather industry was between 7,000 to 15,000 ppm. If the study can find ways to sort this problem then it will be good for the industry.

Mr Alter said that 15,000 hectare in Tamil Nadu had been affected by tannery pollution. Anti-pollution measures can help an industry develop by protecting resources and health of the workers.

Mr Donald Nay, US Commercial Consul, said that USTDA helped US companies to pursue business opportunities overseas. The agency is facilitating the participating the participation of eight US companies in the CII Energy Summit.

Mr S. Subramanian, Director (Southern Region) for the US-Asia Environment Partnership, said that the grant was a result of the presentation made by the Tamil Nadu leather sector to the USTDA Definitional Mission in May.