PANJIM: Villagers of Sao Jose de Areal on Wednesday urged the State government to immediately shut down Goa Carbon Limited (GCL) that is operating in their village, as it has led to major environmental and health hazards.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Social Justice Forum (SJF) said that the manufacture of calcined petroleum coke at Goa Carbon Limited’s factory has resulted in long term environmental and health effects on the village.
“There is a direct impact on human health of the particulate matter (PM 10 and 2.5) released by the facility through fugitive emissions, stack emissions and transportation of raw materials in trucks to the factory. Children and the elderly are most susceptible to air contamination caused by the particulate matter emitted by the facility,” SJF president Alcina Fernandes said.
SJF, an umbrella organization of the villagers, claimed that it is scientifically and medically well established that PM 2.5 and PM 10 cause immediate damage, particularly to people with heart or lung diseases, the health of the elderly and young children and long-term damage to people of all ages. “The citizens of this area have been exposed to high levels of both PM 2.5 and PM 10 for several years (since the mid 1990s) which has compromised not only our respiratory health but also overall health,” the forum said.
Fernandes said that long-term environmental damage has been caused by the deposition of particulate matter on local water bodies and soil. “This cannot only cause hazardous contamination to the environment but also to the produce being cultivated in the fields,” Fernandes added.
The Forum alleged that despite Goa State Pollution Control Board’s (GSPCB) repeated directions, GCL has not installed appropriate air pollution control devices to operate within statutory permissible limits.
