The knitwear cluster in Tirupur, located in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, has managed to overcome the problems posed by the closure of dyeing and bleaching units in the region.
The dyeing units were shutdown around two years ago on the order of the Madras High Court, for releasing untreated water and polluting the river Noyyal.
However, the closure of dyeing units has not affected the domestic sales and exports from the cluster, according to The Hindu.
Last fiscal, Tirupur cluster exported apparels worth Rs. 125 billion, about the same as exports made a year earlier.
Some garment manufacturers got their fabrics dyed from other clusters, while some others got their fabrics dyed at new units that were opened without necessary permission, both within the cluster as well as in the hinterlands, according to the report.
Meanwhile, due to erection of sixteen common effluent treatment plants (CETPs), over 400 dyeing units have already obtained permission from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) to restart their units.
In the meantime, the Dyers Association of Tirupur has applied for a green tag status so that the fabrics dyed in Tirupur may fetch more prices in European markets.
