The COMESA-Leather and Leather Products Institute’s Delegation led by the Institute’s Executive Director, Prof. Mwinyikione Mwinyihija visited the Central Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) and leather testing laboratory situated in Ranipet, a town about 120 km from Chennai, India, on February 4, 2016.
The town has a large concentration of tanneries processing hides and skins from raw to finish. CETP was established in 1995, to control pollution to the environment, and was constantly upgraded to the level of computerized operations management system with a handling capacity of 4500cum/day of effluent that makes it one of the largest effluent treatment plants in India.
The purpose of the COMESA/LLPI delegation visit was for experience gaining and to hold discussions with concerned CETP and leather testing laboratory officials and other experts for possible technology transfer to COMESA/LLPI member countries in general and to Rwanda in particular, that is planning to setup a leather park with appropriate effluent treatment plant in a very near future.
The delegation made fruitful discussions with the CETP officials that encompassed Mr. C.M. Zafarullah, Managing Director, R.Ramesh Prasad, Chairman, and Mr. D. Sivakumar Plant manager and Management representative of the Ranipet Tannery Effluent Treatment Co. Ltd. The participants also agreed to continue the discussion and further strengthen the contacts to reach a tangible result. Finally, the COMESA/LLPI Delegation would like to express its gratefulness for the warm welcome, exemplary hospitality and full cooperation that was extended to it by the hosting Institution (CETP).
