Two Japanese industrial companies have made a joint proposal to build and operate a water treatment facility in the central Myanmar town of Wundwin, which suffers from polluted waterways caused by its textile dyeing industry

Two Japanese industrial companies have made a joint proposal to build and operate a water treatment facility in the central Myanmar town of Wundwin, which suffers from polluted waterways caused by its textile dyeing industry.

Horiba, a company that makes instruments used for measuring water quality, and Hitachi Zosen, which manufactures industrial treatment plants, have taken on the project as part of a Japanese government-backed initiative to improve waterways in Asia, according to a release by Horiba.

Horiba will monitor the amount of pollution discharged by Wundwin's factories as well as pollution levels in local river systems, while Hitachi Zosen will use the data to design a wastewater treatment plant to fit local specifications, says the release.

Wundwin is one of Myanmar's traditional textile manufacturing hubs, with 6,300 textile producers. Approximately 10 percent of factories in the city are involved in the dyeing of longyis, a process which requires mixing toxic dye with water.

Without strict enforcement of environmental regulations in Myanmar, local factories are discharging untreated wastewater into local rivers, causing high levels of pollution.

Horiba began conducting wastewater analysis in January with support from Japan's Ministry of the Environment (MOE), and assistance in surveying and testing from Myanmar’s Ministry of Environmental Conservation and Forestry.

Through the project, the companies plan to spread their technologies in Myanmar, raise awareness about water pollution and promote the establishment of environmental regulations and emission standards, said the report. MBT Reporter

(Myanmar Business Today: http://www.mmbiztoday.com/articles/japanese-firms-pledge-clean-rivers-polluted-dye-textile-making-hub)

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