Let’s stop viewing water pollution as only an environmental
problem. It is a business problem, with the potential to disrupt
operations. The latest example is in India, where court orders
shut down all 729 dyeing and bleaching facilities in the city of
Tirupur. In order to reopen, the facilities must achieve zero
liquid discharge‚ not a simple feat. Tirupur is a major source
of India’s garment exports, accounting for 20 percent. Farmers
downstream have been sounding the alarm bells for some time
about the toxic effluent these dye houses have dumped into the
local water. They petitioned to have something done about the
effluent back in 2009. As a result, some dyeing facilities
installed effluent treatment plants to manage the pollution. The
$260 million investment was, however, ineffective and the
pollution continued. The closure of dyeing facilities had been
one of the central issues in the latest round of local elections
in India. The residents were conflicted on the issue, with some
focusing on the ill-effe