Pollution levels at scary highs
Mumbai waters fare better but noise decibel highest, Thane creek most
polluted.
Express News Service
Mumbai, September 24: Maharashtra is paying a heavy price for its high
degree of industrialisation and urbanisation, according to ‘Environment
Monitor’, an annual report released by the Maharashtra Pollution Control
Board(MPCB) in Mumbai last week. The pressures created by demands of
building infrastructure for a growing population, have had a severe impact
on the environment, evident in the deteriorating quality of air and water.
Tests carried out to sample water quality all over the state showed that at
70 per cent locations, quality has worsened as compared to 2004-05 and none
of the water bodies met their target classes showing nil compliance of
standards. The quality of water of rivers Bhima, Purna, Tapi, Wainganga has
deteriorated.
Regarding the level of pollution in the coastal waters in Mumbai, there is
some cause for relief. Indicators like dissolved oxygen level and the level
of Biological Oxygen Demand(BOD) – which is the amount of oxygen required by
micro-organisms to decompose organic matter – show that while coastal waters
around Mumbai still do not meet prescribed standards, they have, however,
not deteriorated as compared to last year as has been the case with waters
around Navi Mumbai and Thane. In the case of Thane creek, the deterioration
has been most severe with the BOD level increasing by almost five times to
640 mg/lt between 2004-05 and this year. This poses a severe threat to
aquatic life in these waters.
The report says that the ambient and indoor air pollution are ”alarmingly”
high. Only a fifth of the 21 monitored locations had Respirable Suspended
Particulate Matter(RSPM), which refers to pollutant particles so minute that
they can enter and damage the lungs, oxides of sulphur and nitrogen, within
limits.
In Mumbai, where continuous monitoring is done at Sion and Mulund, RSPM
levels have been violated since last year reaching four times the acceptable
limit. Of cities beyond Mumbai, highest RSPM levels have been recorded at
Pune, Chandrapur, Nashik and Solapur.
Noise levels were exceedingly high, being met at only 35 of the 254
locations that were monitored. In Mumbai, noise levels up to 112 decibels
were recorded, which is higher than the sound audible from a jet aircraft
taking off at a distance of 100 meters.
”The condition of the environment is critical and we will tighten
monitoring,” said D B Boralkar, Member Secretary, MPCB.”But it is even
more important to build infrastructure in a way that takes care of the
environment. For instance, if sewage treatment plants were in place in all
cities, the quality of water would not be half as bad,” he added.
That is evident from the numbers as well. The ‘Environment Monitor’ says
that 99 per cent of sewage generated by municipal councils and over 50 per
cent sewage generated by municipal corporations go untreated.
Three-fourths of Sewage Treatment Plants(STPs) lack valid operational
consents, even the ones that have these are overloaded. Last year’s report
had also lamented the inadequacy of STPs but the number of municipal
corporations with STPs has remained at 16 with places like Jalgaon and Akola
still not having any.
Mismanagement of waste other than domestic is also a major source of
pollution. The report admits that despite setting up of facilities for
treating both kinds of wastes, large quantities still reach the soil, air
and water because of ”lack of training and control.”
Of the 4,000 odd industries that generate hazardous waste, maximum are
concentrated in Pune and Kalyan, only about 3,000 have adequate treatment
and disposal facilities – hardly an improvement over last year’s ,960.
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