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Tanneries are among the most polluting industries and discharge of untreated or partially treated effluents by them into River Palar in Vellore district of Tamil Nadu and surrounding areas has resulted in irreversible damage to the waterbodies, groundwater and agricultural land, said the Supreme Court (SC) on January 30, 2025.
A set of directions was passed by SC to mitigate the pollution in River Palar caused by tanneries and other industries.
The apex court directed the Tamil Nadu government to pay compensation to the affected families and individuals, if not already paid, in terms of the awards dated March 7, 2001 and August 24, 2009, passed by the Loss of Ecology Authority (LoEA) within six weeks.
The state government was also directed to recover the compensation amount from polluters, if not already recovered, by initiating proceedings under the Revenue Recovery Act or through any other means permissible by law.
The Supreme Court also instructed the Tamil Nadu government to collaborate with the central government and form a committee within four weeks. This committee, to be led by a retired High Court Judge, will include state and central department secretaries, environmental experts, representatives from the affected communities and other relevant individuals. The committee's purpose is to conduct an audit aimed at identifying, maintaining and creating a clean and healthy environment in Vellore.
"Since pollution is a continuing wrong until the condition is reversed, the polluters shall be liable to compensate the victims and liable for the damage," the court said. The Committee constituted was directed to periodically assess and pass appropriate orders till then.
The state was also asked to implement the suggestions of the committee to formulate and implement a comprehensive rejuvenation plan for Palar, which includes removing pollutants, desilting, ensuring adequate water flow and directing the concerned authorities and bodies to accomplish the same within a time frame.
Tamil Nadu must conduct quarterly inspections of tanning industries in Vellore to evaluate their adherence to environmental regulations and publish a report on its website detailing all significant information. The inspection team should check if the industries are located within allowed distances from restricted areas, the status of zero liquid discharge compliance by the industries and other pertinent factors.
Furthermore, Tamil Nadu should arrange for an environmental audit of each river in the state to determine pollution levels, degradation, changes in storage capacity and groundwater depletion, and then publish the findings on websites, newspapers, media and other public platforms.
The environmental degradation has impoverished local farmers and has caused immense suffering to the local residents and the tannery workers, thereby endangering public health and life, the SC said.
"It would not be wrong to say that the condition of tannery workers is no better than that of manual scavengers. With a majority of workers being women, the situation is even more distressing," the SC said in its 116 page judgment.