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Maharashtra Pollution Control Board issues report on coal mountains in Sewri, activists fume

Nearly nine months after a high court order to take up the issue of severe pollution in areas of Sewri next to port land, the state pollution control board has come up with a report pointing to flaws in the handling of the imported coal stored in open plots and made recommendations to reduce the dust poisoning.

P K Mirashe, assistant secretary (technical) at the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) and one of the two officials heading the committee looking into coal handling operations, said the board will now fix a meeting with Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT) officials. They will renew the 'consent to operate' (permit to handle coal) only if the port trust commits to concrete proposals to cut down pollution.

Activists who moved court against the pollution and have been pushing for a stop to the coal storage have been stung by the tepid response. "In the face of such damning evidence against the port trust's handling of coal in the MPCB's own report, and considering warnings over several years issued by them, the conclusion should be obvious — to withdraw the 'consent to operate'. Giving more time is against all norms of governance, considering the time the port trust has already been given, its flagrant violation of norms and the effect of the pollution caused by coal on the population in the area," said retired vice-admiral I C Rao, one of those who filed the PIL.

Over the last two months, TOI has written extensively on the damage to the environment and health of those living around the toxic mountains of coal in Sewri. About 1.5 lakh metric tonnes of coal have been lying in storage on port land (see box) causing residents and other who work in the area immense hardship.

In September 2014, banker Meera Sanyal and Rao petitioned the Bombay high court seeking to prevent the MPCB from renewing the 'consent to operate' for the port trust's coal handling operations which expired that month. The court immediately ordered the pollution regulator to take up the matter.

Now, the MPCB has come out with a report based on a visit to coal handling sites in April this year. The report points to two "fogger" machines installed at the site where coal is unloaded, meant to reduce pollution, which, though operational, were inadequate when it came to controlling the dust.

The report also talked of a "pollution problem" at the nearby Indian Maritime University's Mumbai campus due to fine particles of coal. It added that coal exceeding capacity was stored at the Modi Stone plot, one of the storage sites. It went on to say that a substantial quantity was stored without any fogger or cover arrangements, and tar roads were not available on the premises. Another site, called J-Plot, is adjacent to human habitation, the report noted.

The report makes several recommendations, such as mechanizing the process of handling coal, reducing the number of storage points, regular air quality checks, covered wagons to transport coal and continuous sprinkling of water on the roads to minimize dust pollution.

The port trust authorities had said earlier it is not feasible to mechanize handling of coal as the quantities are not big enough. Sanyal claims that in the wake of plans to redevelop port land, officials will have no incentive to mechanize coal handling.

"The port trust has no business turning Mumbai into a transit point for millions of tonnes of coal that are not even meant for the city. The cost to human health violates all world health standards. That the operations are allowed to continue is a dereliction of duty on the part of the authorities," Sanyal added.

source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com