The Kerala State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) has issued a Circular clarifying the distance criteria that must be followed by units engaged in carpentry and wooden furniture manufacturing in the state. This clarification follows a review by the High Level Technical Committee. The clarification is based on the revised classification of industrial sectors issued by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
Revised Criteria by Industry Category
The KSPCB’s new directive differentiates distance norms based on the unit’s activity and CPCB’s categorization:
Green Category Units (with spray painting)
Carpentry and wooden furniture manufacturing units that include spray painting (excluding saw mill) using motorized machines (e.g., electrical wood planer, band saw, cutting circular saw) shall follow the general distance criteria applicable to the Green category as per the KSPCB Circular dated 09-08-2004.
White Category Units (without spray painting)
Such units that do not carry out spray painting are categorized under the White category. There is no distance criterion specified for units that fall under the White category.
Cancellation of Previous Norms
The distance norms previously specified in KSPCB Circulars for ‘wooden furniture/carpentry units’ and ‘Furniture assembling units using MDF, particle board, novopan, plywood and other similar engineered wood (manufactured board)’ stand cancelled.