PANJIM: Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) has decided to rope in Institutes or Centres of Excellence in a bid to conduct air pollution modelling to ascertain likely impact of dusty cargo at mooring dolphin, the offshore cargo handling facility of Mormugao Port Trust (MPT).
The decision was taken at the 128th Board meeting held earlier this month. The mooring dolphin facility has been operational since 2003 without obtaining the required consent to operate under the Air and Water Acts. The Board observed that the facility is a major contributor to the high level of pollution in Vasco.
Accordingly, the Board has decided to, within the next three months, engage the services of NEERI, IIT or MoEF-empanelled consultants to conduct air pollution modelling to ascertain the likelihood impact of dusty cargo at the mooring dolphin and to recommend measures to curb such pollution, within the next three months.
The Board has also decided to direct MPT to submit a bank guarantee of Rs 1 crore, while deferring the decision on the consent to operate for the facility.
As per the MPT submission, no precautionary pollution control measures can be taken during handling operations at the mooring dolphins as they are in the open sea.
Meanwhile, the source apportionment studies (SAS) by IIT, Mumbai, to ascertain the overall impact of coal pollution in the town, will commence from first-week of March 2018.
