ABSTRACT
Many South Asian countries, including India, are experiencing severe environmental problems due to their rapid industrialization. This phenomenon is very common where water-polluting industries such as dye manufacturing, textile dyeing, leather tanning, paper and pulp processing, and sugar manufacturing thrive as clusters. Synthetic dyes are used in many spheres of our everyday life, and their applications are continuously growing in various industries such as textile, leather, cosmetics, paper, paint, and food. Textile industries also discharge with wastewater an array of hazardous organic and inorganic compounds/substances such as aromatic amines, heavy metals, ammonia, alkali salts, and toxic solids, as well as large amount of pigments and chlorine, a known carcinogen, which causes serious environmental and health problems. The untreated dyes cause chemical and biological changes in aquatic resources, which threaten fish and other aquatic species. Textile mills and industries discharge millions of gallons of colorful toxic hazardous wastes containing organic chemicals into the environment.
