Despite repeated notices, the jeans dyeing units in Ballari have failed to establish effluent treatment plants (ETPs) or a common effluent treatment plant (CETP), prompting the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) to recommend their closure.
The Ballari branch of KSPCB has sent a proposal to the head office in Bengaluru, which is expected to issue closure orders soon. This move could jeopardize the livelihoods of hundreds employed in these units, which have been discharging untreated effluents into local water bodies, causing severe environmental damage.
Despite multiple warnings, the units have not installed the necessary treatment systems. Their owners were even summoned to the KSPCB headquarters in Bengaluru for discussions on setting up ETPs or a CETP, but no action was taken.
Once the closure orders are issued, power supply to these units will be disconnected, resulting in a complete halt to operations. They will only be allowed to resume once ETPs or a CETP are installed and a compliance report is submitted.
Earlier this year, on January 16, Upa Lokayukta Justice B. Veerappa visited the apparel park in Mundargi and found untreated effluents being released. He reportedly expressed dissatisfaction with officials from the KSPCB and the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board. In response, the dyeing units temporarily halted operations voluntarily but resumed work soon after.