But smoke billowing out from steel units is still a concern; Post-monsoon GSPCB to carry out more checks
TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
MARGAO: This might raise many an eyebrow amongst those hit by pollution in and around the Cuncolim Industrial estate.
Ambient air quality checks carried out by the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) has revealed that the levels of dust particle level were found within the permissible limits.
GSPCB Chairman Jose Manuel Noronha, however, said the Board has called the owners of all the steel units by next week to find ways of minimizing smoke coming out of the factories. “My engineer was already in the Cuncolim Industrial Estate after the ambient air quality report was compiled by our staff. We are scouting for some technology wherein smoke released by the steel units is minimized. My engineer is working on some options, wherein the technology once implemented will minimise the smoke,” Noronha added.
The GSPCB has also decided to carry out ambient air quality monitoring outside the Cuncolim Industrial estate post-monsoon following allegations that some of the erring units might have complied with the pollution norms during the period. “We do not want to take chances. The air quality monitoring will continue after the monsoons as well,” remarked a GSPCB official.
Incidentally, locals have been demanding a crack down on all erring units releasing smoke in flagrant violation of pollution control norms. In fact, it is not uncommon to find out smoke billowing from the factories via ventilators, windows and doors instead of the chimneys.
Residents had raised doubts about the efficacy of the two ambient air quality stations installed outside the industrial estate on grounds they would not help detect or zero in on the erring factory violating the pollution control norms.
Says Oscar Martins: “The time has come for the GSPCB and all other authorities to crack down on individual units releasing smoke without putting their chimneys to use. The authorities should check why smoke comes out from the ventilators and windows when they are supposed to the put their mechanism to use to get the smoke out from the chimneys.”
GSPCB officials admitted in private that continuous intake of smoke released by the industries may give rise to health hazards in due course of time. “Though the conclusion derived from the ambient air quality checks may reveal dust particles within permissible limits, there was one particular instance during the same period when the dust particles were found beyond the permissible limits,” the source added.
