question_answer

  The following newspaper report was published on 9th April, 2012. "The districts of Jodhpur, Farmer and Pali in Rajasthan have over 2000 textile units engaged in printing and dyeing of cloth, which are posing a major threat to the environment and ecology of their respective regions in the absence of an effluent disposal plan and adequate Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs). The state High Court has asked the units in Farmer district to close. Union Textiles Minister Anand Sharma said the industries cannot be allowed to be closed down and we need to come out with a solution as per the wish of the High Court." Do you feel that the minister was right? If so, what steps should be taken? Give your reasons.

Answer:

                  The minister was correct in the part of his statement that the industries cannot be allowed to be closed down, as this would render thousands of people jobless. But, instead of just satisfying the High Court, he should have asked the dyeing and printing industries to install with adequate Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs), which can be established by pooling the resources of a group of industries in a particular area. All the industries in that area should route their effluents to this common plant for effective disposal of the poisonous substances. This will entail additional expenditure on the industries, which they should be willing to bear in the interest of the environment and ecology of the region.