SANTOSH NAIK
PONDA: With dust in their food, their homes and their lungs, the residents of Undir in Bandora are living a life that has turned into an unending struggle. Dust pollution due to sand blasting at a nearby ship-building site threatens to upend their lives, leaving their health in peril.
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Ironically, local residents had filed a complaint with Goa State Pollution Control Board on December 9, 2024, but officials visited the area only on Tuesday, stating after an inspection that the shipbuilding company had been ordered to take precautionary measures to prevent dust
pollution.
The shipbuilding activities have been going on for over a year at a dock on the Zuari River, where a large ship is being constructed. The sandblasting process to remove rust from metal is leading to billowing dust that covers every surface, complain locals. The elderly, children, and newborns are suffering from itching, dry cough, and overall
discomfort.
Many locals are demanding that the company move its operations to a more isolated location. The affected residents stress that they are not opposed to the shipbuilding company but are calling for stronger measures to control the dust pollution. Some have even expressed concern about the contamination of well water, raising fears of a water crisis when taps eventually run dry.
Priyanka Naik, a local resident, said that the shipbuilding dock is located directly across from her home. “We are not opposed to shipbuilding, but the sand blasting is creating a lot of dust pollution,”
Priyanka said.
“I conceived after 12 years of marriage, and now my seven-month-old is constantly falling ill and had been admitted to hospital four times recently,” she added.
Seema Naik, another local resident, highlighted the impact on everyday life, saying, “While the company earns profit, we are left to suffer. Dust gets into our food, and we constantly deal with itching and eye pain.”
Elderly resident Vithoba Pokle added that he is suffering from constant health problems, including persistent itching and coughing. His family fears that these ongoing issues could lead to more severe health complications.
Prajoth Naik, a concerned resident, criticised the delay in GSPCB officials visiting the area said claimed that the company had previously been more responsive to residents’ grievances but has since ignored their concerns. He has urged the company to relocate its sand blasting operations to a dry dock or a secluded area.
Naik also pointed out that the ongoing road construction in the area adds to the dust pollution and called for urgent resurfacing of roads with hot mix carpeting to mitigate the situation.
