Dommassandra in Bengaluru is home to hundreds of silk sari weavers. The weavers work with middlemen to obtain raw materials and designs. This raw silk is then sent to “Colour Factories’ to be dyed with bright colours using synthetic dyes. The dyed silk is then made into beautiful silk saris using power looms. Power looms have rapidly replaced hand looms in this area due to the lesser time and labour required.

The synthetic dyeing factory in Dommassandra uses chemical dyes made from fossil fuels for brighter colours. It operates out of a big shed containing five large furnaces on which the dye solution is boiled for hours. Workers in the factory work for 14-16 hours a day, handling dyes and acids. Our visit to the colour factory as well as the weavers of Dommassandra show how textile production happens in the area, providing livelihoods but at the cost of environmental pollution.

Can we find solutions to the pollution problems but without displacing the weavers from their traditional occupations?

Alaka S is an engineer by qualification and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Development at Azim Premji University.

Jhelum Mukherjee is a graduate in English Literature and is currently pursuing her Master’s in Development at Azim Premji University.