Civic body orders survey of cottage textile dyeing units

SURAT: The local civic body has ordered a survey of cottage textile dyeing units also known as 'tapela' units in the city's industrial areas of Pandesara, Udhna and Limbayat. The survey follows complaints of untreated water being illegally released in the drainage lines.
Sources said that Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) has sealed 34 such units in Limbayat after the residents in Subhash Nagar locality complained of receiving blue water in their taps on Tuesday.The untreated water got mixed with the underground water pipelines due to leakage and resulted in coloured tap water.
The survey is being carried out by the four different wings of hydraulic, drainage, health and town planning departments in areas having 'tapela' dyeing units at residential plots and industrial estates.
Sources said that the residents in areas like Subhashnagar, Madanpura and Mahaprabhunagar in Limbayat zone were getting contaminated water for the last one month. They had taken up the issue with SMC's Limbayat zone officials who found that release of untreated chemical water by the dyeing units into the drainage lines was causing the problem.
City engineer Jatin Shah said, "Most of the 'tapela' dyeing units operate illegally and do not follow the pollution norms. We have given the orders to seal all the dyeing units found flouting the norms of proper disposal of untreated water."