Paradip: State Pollution Control Board would soon install an online air ambient monitoring system at Mahakalapada in Kendrapara district to measure the effluents released by the industries set up in Paradip, regional officer Prashant Kar Friday said.
Preliminary works have been completed and the system would be put in place after identification of the spot, Kar said adding that the scale of pollution would be recorded round the clock through this system and an employee posted there would regularly send the reports to the SPCB’s head office.
According to reports, Paradip is considered the third largest polluted province of the state after Jharsuguda and Angul. A region is declared as hazardous if the level of pollution exceeds 70 on the measuring scale and further permission is not given to set up new industries in the region. Paradip is considered to be on the border line with the pollution rate averaging at 69.4.
It may be noted that installation of such monitoring systems were made mandatory for all the factories and industries from 2014. The system reveals to what extent the air, water and soil is being polluted by the concerned industry. Six of the eight industries set up in the port town have these systems in place, but they have placed the measuring systems upwind instead of downwind. Thus, the system fails to accurately measure the rate of pollution in these industries.
It is learnt that the board has taken the decision to put the system in Mahakalapada since the block is worst-hit by the noxious waste released by the industries set up in Paradip. The major industries in the town included two fertilizer industries (PPL & IFFCO), an oil refinery project, Essar Steel, Goa Carbon, a beer factory and a carbon factory and they release a wide range of gases into the environment. People of Mahakalpada, Rajnagar and Pattamundai blocks in Kendrapara district say they can smell the pungent odour of ammonia released by PPL and IFFCO which is blown their way by the southern winds. The effluents released by other industries also destroy the greenery as well as some rare varieties of trees of the region, locals alleged.
While the residents of these blocks feel burning sensation in their eyes and noses due to the oily, black smoke generated by Essar Steel and a carbon factory, the unpleasant smell produced while refining of crude oil by the refinery has made their life miserable. People say they have to bear it for seven months in a year.
Since Mahakalpada residents suffer most of the time in a year, SPCB took the decision to install the monitoring system there as it is often observed that the concerned industries tend to refute the allegations.
Meanwhile, more suffering is on the cards for the people of Kendrapara as preliminary works for setting up of two more factories (a plastic park and Deepak Fertilizers) has begun in Paradip. Ironically, residents have to bear the brunt despite the fact that the district has no industries to its credit. PNN