Pollution Control measures must be Self-Initiated and followed

With Quality (Control) Orders being implemented by the BIS as per the DPIIT Orders, the plywood industry is fast readying itself to walk the path of Quality – by force, if not by self-initiation. The QCO has turned out to be a boon for consumers as well as the organized industry sector, to revive the Quality-chain in India. Hon. PM Shri Narendra ModiJi’s significant vision of Zero Defect, Zero Effect has effectively started seeing the process of implementation in the plywood industry.

However, the next phase of the sector is the imminent ‘clean-up’ of Pollution Control Measures (PCM) within the plywood & wood-based panel industry sector. So far, industries had their own world of assumptions and self-proclaimed narratives about their PCM in factories. With the recent ‘tightening’ of PCM in some States, through inspections & notices, plywood factories have started realizing that all their ‘self-knowledge’ and claims of being non-polluting industry premises have no value from the point of view of the governance structure and general environmental obligations.

We all know within our own minds that plywood and wood-based panel industries require process water, utilize chemicals and synthetic resin raw materials, use chemical wood preservatives, such as copper & chromium compounds, in addition to various other chemical additives and synthetic materials. Obviously, we all know that these factory activities involve wash-water, process effluents, soil-air-water pollution possibilities.

It must be our own individual responsibilities and accountabilities that we must shift focus to a cooperative work culture with regard to social & environmental obligations. Just as we need prideful investments on hot-presses and conti-lines, we also need to inculcate a character & behavior of self-initiated PCM for our own society and our motherland, as we also hypocritically embrace Her with vulnerable emotions during necessity.

The following aspects of PCM remain to be addressed in plywood and wood-based panel industry sector.

1. Effluents are generated, irrespective of the capacity of production, whether we make 1 ton resin or 100 ton resin per day.
2. Resin wash water, glue wash water, as well as raw material storage area (caustic soda, acids, treatment chemicals, formaldehyde, phenol etc) are vulnerable.
3. Wash water poses significant challenges to soil and water pollution in the surroundings. (Whether we agree or not theoretically).
4. Factories must enable proper arrangements and infrastructure to conform to pollution requirements. Periodic maintenance of the equipment and systems ,from time to time, should be SELF mandatory.
5. Factories using copper and chromium compounds have to undertake specific measures to address disposal of treatment solution wastes and wash water. We must not mislead ourselves, to risk the entire human ecology, which we are also a part of.
6. Boiler residues pose a major disposal challenge which needs to be addressed through proper disposal measures.
7. Separation of flyash for use in cement sector and bottom ash for use in soil conditioning is a possible approach.
8. Also, use of boiler firing residues during road construction is an alternative single-point disposal solution.
9. Establishment of ETP must be made mandatory for all resin making and treatment-tank installed units, with ETP capacity specific to respective disposal volumes.
10. Concrete soak pit of calculated volume may be a temporary solution. The water can also be reused during resin manufacturing and balance residues disposed of properly.

My humble submission is that we must face the matter together with conscience and character. The continuous and consistent abuse and misuse of our motherland must be stopped and we must all move towards a positive futuristic outlook with energy and vitality.

QCO is the best transition period to figure out, correct, repair, and rejuvenate ourselves into an energetic and self-confident future for the entire sector.

 👇 Please Note 👇

Thank you for reading our article!

If you don’t received industries updates, News & our daily articles

please Whatsapp your Wapp No. or V Card on 8278298590, your number will be added in our broadcasting list.