Majority of bonemeal, rubber processing units at Edayar have complied with norms, claims KSPCB

Kerala State Pollution Control Board (KSCPB) has claimed that only two of the 20 bonemeal units, chicken waste rendering plants, and rubber processing units in the Edayar industrial area were left to comply with the directives issued to check uncotrolled emission into the atmosphere.

These 20 units were served closure or closure-intention notices for violation of environmental norms between April 2024 and January 2025 by the board. The directive was issued after a study by the CSIR–National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (NIIST), Thiruvananthapuram, in September 2023, found that biofilters used to remove pollutants and odour from air impacted by industrial and manufacturing processes were not functioning properly in units involved in rubber, meat and waste processing.

The two units that have sought time to comply with the prescribed norms are Alliance Marine Products and Organo Fertilizers (chicken waste rendering units). The remaining units had installed the required systems, including biofilters used to remove pollutants and odour from air impacted by industrial and manufacturing processes, according to P.K. Baburajan, Chief Environmental Engineer, KSPCB, Ernakulam. The two units have been told to ensure compliance within a month, he said.

The erring units have also been directed to stop releasing odour and volatile organic compounds during raw material processing and plant operations. Vapour-emitting sources must be channelled through ducts into a common conduit after passing through advanced condensers and an appropriate scrubbing unit.

The board’s inferences have come at a time when the councillors in the Eloor municipality have criticised the agency for not acting against the units responsible for odour emission and air pollution in the area. They also alleged that the board was not considering their concerns at the review meetings held to address the pollution situation in the industrial area.