23 Oct 2019
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, will complete the second phase of its source appropriation study at Vasco in November. The report will indicate the exact quantity of coal, bauxite and other dust particles present in the air and this will point out the reason behind the air pollution in the port town.
The source appropriation study was ordered following allegations of coal pollution in the town. The government wants to find out the reason behind air pollution in the vicinity. The second phase of the study would be completed by November and based on both the reports we will make our recommendations to the government, Goa state pollution control board (GSPCB) chairman Ganesh Shetgaonkar .
The first phase report by IIT Bombay states that coal is not the only mineral behind the air pollution in the town, Shetgaonkar said. “If IIT Bombay wants to have one more study to find out the exact reason behind air pollution, then we will ask them to conduct the study in summer,” he said.
The GSPCB chairman said that dust settles during the monsoon and it is impossible to quantify the dust particle in the air.
The first phase was a month-long study that began in April 2018. The Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) will bear the cost of the entire study, which has been pegged at over Rs 94 lakh, a senior officer of the GSPCB said. Identification of sampling locations, monitoring ambient air quality and locating pollution sources are part of the study’s scope and will be carried out as per Central Pollution Control Board guidelines.
Recently, the board had granted fresh consent to operate to South West Port Ltd (SWPL) a unit of Jindal Steel Work (JSW) to handle 4 lakh tonne coal per month at MPT. It had also restricted coal handling by Adani Mormugao Port Terminal Pvt Ltd (AMPTPL) to 4 lakh tonne per month at MPT.
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