Garment Production linked to Environmental Damage and
Health Problems in Tirupur
A
recently published study concludes that the textile bleaching
and dyeing production processes carried out in the Tirupur
area in southern India, are a serious threat to human health
and the environment.
Factory owners and workers from 16 factories (textile dyeing,
textile bleaching, and garment production), as well as trade
union representatives were interviewed between August and
November 2001 to learn more about working conditions and
health and safety concerns. Farmers from surrounding villages
were also interviewed about water quality, both for individual
or household consumption and irrigation. Water samples were
analyzed in order to investigate the quality and effectiveness
of wastewater management in the textile industry. The results,
published in the report "Dirty Shirts: A study of health,
safety, and environmental concerns in the context of the
garment industry in Tirupur region, India," were staggering.
Researchers from Community Awareness Research Education
(CARE), an Indian NGO, found that the people of the Tirupur
region depend on water that, according to World Health Organization
standards, is not fit for any sort of consumption or for
irrigating farmers' fields. The textile industry is responsible
for the pollution of air, soil, surface and groundwater.
They found the treatment of wastewater to be insufficient.
That the effluent treatment plants in the area are failing
to adequately treat the wastewater is apparent - not just
from the analysis of samples of water coming out of the
plants, but simply to the naked eye. Sixty-four percent
of the farmers interviewed reported that the water leaving
the plants was black, 20 percent reported blue water flowing
out of the plants, while eight percent reported seeing red
water and another four percent say yellow water coming out
of the plants.
Other concerns cited in the research report are the lack
of drinking water and water for domestic and agricultural
uses due to the enormous use of water by these industries.
Also noted was deforestation, which has come about as a
result of the use of fossil fuels for boilers in the factories.
And for workers in the industry the problems of pollution
in the community are compounded by what they experience
at their workplaces. Researchers found that workers in dyeing
and bleaching facilities handle chemicals without proper
protection, and are faced with chronic health problems,
including skin diseases and hair loss.
Clearly, these findings should raise widespread concern
over the impact of the bleaching and dyeing processes that
proceed the actual stitching of garments. The study, commissioned
by the Dutch consumers' organization Goede Waar & Co,
focused on facilities in Tirupur that supply Dutch garment
retailers. However, the concerns raised in this study are
relevant to those beyond the Netherlands. With 800 dyeing
and bleaching units using 60,000 kilos of chemicals and
over 115 million liters of fresh water per day, the water
pollution and consumption caused by Dutch garment production
is most likely just a drop in the bucket, comparatively
speaking. Other European and North American companies rely
on Tirupur for textile and garment production and should
also be pressured to step up their efforts to improve their
practices in the region.
To order a copy of this study, please contact:
Goede Waar & Co
Postbus 61236
1005 HE Amsterdam
the Netherlands
Tel: 31-20-686-3338
Fax: 31-20-686-7361
E-mail: goedewaar@xs4all.nl
