Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) has recently served show cause notice on six brick kilns in Thadagam area. These units were located near residential areas and there were complaints that the kilns used cashew shells, said an official of the board.
Based on the complaints, officials of TNPCB inspected the units and issued show cause notice. The units had 15 days to respond to the notice, the official said. R. Subash, a resident of Chinna Thadagam, said that the Chinna Thadagam panchayat passed a resolution last year and again recently against the use of cashew shells in the brick kilns.
Use of the shells was banned in several States. Though use of the shells was on for more than a decade at the brick kilns, in the last two to three years, the quantity of cashew shells used had gone up and the residents feared health problems.
Many of them had complaints of respiratory problems, he claimed. According to one of the brick kiln owners in the area, the brick kilns have 110 ft high chimneys. They are permitted to use other materials in the kiln if the height of the chimney is more than 95 feet.
The units buy roasted cashew shells from Kerala. Following the notice, they now plan to buy raw shells from Karnataka. If the TNPCB does not approve use of these shells too, the units have no option, but to go in for wood. Nearly 100 units are located in Thadagam area and these require 50 loads of wood a day, the owner says.
The price of wood is high and it affects production too. The kilns employ nearly 10,000 workers. These workers are employed for several years and their livelihood will also be affected if production is affected in the units, he says.
Based on the complaints, officials of TNPCB inspected the units and issued show cause notice. The units had 15 days to respond to the notice, the official said. R. Subash, a resident of Chinna Thadagam, said that the Chinna Thadagam panchayat passed a resolution last year and again recently against the use of cashew shells in the brick kilns.
Use of the shells was banned in several States. Though use of the shells was on for more than a decade at the brick kilns, in the last two to three years, the quantity of cashew shells used had gone up and the residents feared health problems.
Many of them had complaints of respiratory problems, he claimed. According to one of the brick kiln owners in the area, the brick kilns have 110 ft high chimneys. They are permitted to use other materials in the kiln if the height of the chimney is more than 95 feet.
The units buy roasted cashew shells from Kerala. Following the notice, they now plan to buy raw shells from Karnataka. If the TNPCB does not approve use of these shells too, the units have no option, but to go in for wood. Nearly 100 units are located in Thadagam area and these require 50 loads of wood a day, the owner says.
The price of wood is high and it affects production too. The kilns employ nearly 10,000 workers. These workers are employed for several years and their livelihood will also be affected if production is affected in the units, he says.