The dyestuff industry in Gujarat: environmental issues

Abstract

This chapter discusses the problems of managing environmental impacts of the dyestuff industry in India. India's dyestuff industry is concentrated in the state of Gujarat along the Golden Corridor which runs from north to south of the state. In 2006, the Indian dyestuffs industry's share in global dyestuff production was around 6.8% with total output of about 100,000 tons of intermediates and 28,700 MT of dyes and pigments, making it the second largest producer of dyes and intermediates in Asia. The Indian industry was suffering from falling margins and over-capacity as the demand from developed nations varied considerably and caused volatility in the markets. In India, a regime of favourable tax policies during the 1980s and lax environmental regulations led to rapid growth of small-scale units, especially in the western states of Gujarat and Maharashtra. The newly established Common Effluent Treatment Plants in the industrial estates of Gujarat collected the waste-water from individual industries and charged these industries for treatment.