The National Green Tribunal directed the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) on May 27 to frame environmental guidelines for plywood industries in India.
The green body was hearing a matter regarding several plywood units causing pollution in a village in Yamuna Nagar district of Haryana and asked the environment ministry to file an action taken report within six months before the Registrar General of the tribunal.
The tribunal’s order dated May 27, came while hearing a case involving multiple plywood units allegedly polluting a village in Haryana’s Yamuna Nagar district. The ministry has been given six months to prepare the guidelines and file an action taken report before Registrar General of NGT.
Regulating Pollution in Plywood
The bench, led by NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava and comprising Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and expert member A Senthil Vel, observed that there is an “urgent need for framing of guidelines” for plywood industries. It noted that while the MoEF&CC and Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) have set environmental norms for industries like sand mining, stone crushers, brick kilns, and bio-medical waste treatment plants, plywood units have largely remained outside formal regulation.
It also noted that while the MoEF&CC and Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) have set environmental norms for industries like sand mining, stone crushers, brick kilns and bio-medical waste treatment plants, plywood units have largely remained outside formal regulation.
Despite having a pollution index of 78.3, plywood manufacturing is only categorised under the ‘Orange’ category by the CPCB—indicating moderate pollution. However, the tribunal pointed out that there are no guidelines on key aspects such as factory location, pollution control equipment or handling of carcinogenic chemicals commonly used in the manufacturing process.
The case was initiated by a letter petition from Sumit Saini, a resident of Damla village, Yamuna Nagar, submitted in May 2022.
According to World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), unsustainable pulpwood production can severely impact the climate, such as in regions like Sumatra, where converting deep peatlands to plantations releases vast amounts of carbon. Pulp and paper industries also consume large volumes of water and energy, releasing greenhouse gases and pollutants into air and water. These discharges threaten aquatic ecosystems and the health of nearby communities.
