NAVI MUMBAI: Chemical wastes are being transported by tankers and illegally dumped in the city water bodies and other remote areas. Some residents have complained about noxious smells coming from nullahs that flow along residential areas in Vashi and Koparkhairane.
Regional officer, Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), Y Sontakke said, "The foul smell may have come from a cylinder leak from a passing tanker if the knobs were not tightened properly." Chemicals that have a flashpoint below 20C are considered highly volatile and escape, causing the foul smell, he added.
Last Friday, however, locals caught one tanker driver openly dumping waste in Pimpri village panchayat area near Mumbra bypass.
Sontakke added that the tanker was heading towards the city and the driver took advantage of the deserted area to dump waste. He confirmed that the tanker was carrying hazardous chemicals.
To cut cost, some industries could be paying the tanker crew to dump the waste. The industrial units located on the outskirts and those within the city could be engaged in the criminal act, he said. "We have stepped up vigil near Taloja river area. But we are not empowered to arrest the culprits. Transport and traffic police need to be more pro-active as they have law enforcement rights. We have field officers and four vehicles to monitor suspicious movements but they cannot intervene and seize vehicles. If there is any mishap and a staff is overrun by a speeding tanker, there is no insurance cover as well."
DCP (Traffic), Vijay Patil said there are some 10,000 tankers entering the city every day and some of them carry hazardous chemicals. Security measures need to be tightened, agreed police officials, but staff crunch has affected proper monitoring of these rogue trucks.
Also, it is difficult to provide evidence in a court of law about air pollution and prosecution is difficult under the Environment Protection Act, 1986. Conviction can also be time consuming. The Act provides for (if convicted) six months imprisonment that can be extended for another year, along with a penalty of Rs one lakh.
Around two years ago, a tanker from Vapi, Gujarat was caught dumping hazardous chemicals in Kalyan-Dombivili area. The case is still going on, said Sontakke. The police are yet to register the case against the tanker that was seized in the Mumbra bypass area last week. "We are hopeful that FIR would be registered soon,'' the MPCB sources said.
