Industries got a whacking yesterday as experts and environmentalists maintained that rivers around Dhaka are getting polluted wholesale by industrial waste. Even industries with effluent treatment plants do not run those facilities.

PALATHOZHUVU and Kolathupalayam lakes no more help farmers water their lands. For they have become storage tanks for effluents, discreetly let out by the textile units of SIPCOT industrial estate in Perundurai.

Environment Protection Agency (EPA) has failed to establish proper mechanism for treating industrial effluents as only one percent of wastewater is treated, daily, before being discharged directly into rivers and sea.

The Government will provide financial support to the smaller industries to set up Effluent Treatment Plants (ETP), said State Minister for Environment & Forest Advocate Mostafizur Rahman.

He was addressing a discussion organised by Bangladesh chamber of Industries (BCI) on May 02.

The state minister for environment and forests has assured smaller industries of government's financial support to set up effluent treatment plants (ETP).

Manish Tewari, who released his vision document today, has termed Budha Nullah as the biggest challenge. The open drain passing through the heart of the city needs to be immediately cleaned, he added and promised to take up the issue with the Central government.

Soft attitude of the government towards polluters and lack of awareness among city dwellers have literally left dead all the rivers and other surface waters in and around the capital.

ERODE: Federation of All Trade and Industry Associations of Erode District has asked the Tamil Nadu Government to set up effluent treatment plants.
Cost

In a release, the trade body says as the cost of setting up treatment plants is Rs. 600 crore, which no industry and trade can afford, the Government along with the Centre must come forward to bear the entire expenses.

R. Vimal Kumar

For a clean city: A scientific team constituted by Kongunadu Munnetra Peravai in Tirupur to study the problems of effluent discharge.

Tirupur: A technical committee constituted by the newly-formed political party Kongunadu Munnetra Peravai to study effluent water management in Tirupur, has come out with its report on Monday.

While noting that the ultimate solution to the environmental damage caused by non-biodegradable plastic bags is to introduce bags made of biodegradable materials, Sindh Minister for Environment and Alternative Energy Askari Taqvi said on Thursday that a