MUMBAI:
Smoke and foul odour from the shipbreaking yard near Dockyard Road has sparked
health concerns among officials from Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL).
The shipbreaking
yard, popularly known as Darukhana, is in close proximity to the Mazagon Dock,
and illegal burning of metal and rubber at the yard leaves a foul smell in the
locality, irritating dock officials as well as local residents.
Following
complaints by senior MDL officials, the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board
(MPCB) inspected the site and noticed that material was being burnt illegally
at the yard. The board has since reported the matter to the Sewri police. It
was also noticed that untreated waste left after burning the leftovers of ships
was being dumped directly into the sea.
"We
can smell burning rubber all the time," said an MDL official. MDL
employees have raised questions over how polluting activities are being carried
out in the open without any precautions. The shipbreaking yard is a protected
area and such activities cannot be possible there without the involvement of
insiders, sources said.
The shipbreaking
yard is owned and controlled by the Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT). On an average,
there are three to four ships berthed at the yard on any given day and when the
MPCB inspected the area and carried out ambient quality tests, it found that
the smoke from the site was adversely affecting the health of the locals and
the ambient environment. "Most of the environment quality quotients were
higher than the prescribed limits," said an MPCB official.
MbPT
officials said they have asked security personnel around the shipbreaking yard
to be more vigilant. "We are also trying to address the problem at the
earliest," said an MbPT official.
Source: times
of india. 29 October 2012
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-10-29/mumbai/34797531_1_dock-officials-mbpt-ship
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