PERUMBAVOOR, INDIA - Plywood plants operating in densely populated residential areas of Perumbavoor remain the target of protests by outraged citizens over air and water pollution concerns.

The protests have persisted via petitions and rallies for approximately three years but have yielded little if any results, according to The Hindu.

Woodworking Network reported in May that angered residents claim that many of the purported 810 - mainly small-scale plywood plants in and around Perumbavoor - planned to take to the streets to seek closure of violators. Among the latest round of protests is a 'fast unto death' by a protest leader that began about two months ago to call attentioin to the issue, according to The Hindu.

The protesters claim that the rogue plywood mills spew fumes that settle into wells and other water supplies.

Last spring, representatives of the South Indian Plywood Manufacturers Association pledged to take steps to get some plywood factory owners to clean up their plants.However, the only tangible relief offered by government authorities was to establish a law in November 2011 that industrial plants must be at least 50 meters from residences; the previous rule set this distance at 10 meters.