The Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) today decided to order two major companies operating at Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) to reduce their coal handling capacity by 25 per cent for failing to control air pollution caused due to coal dust.
The board meeting held here today decided to ask M/s Adani Mormugao Port Terminal Private Ltd and JSW's South West Port Ltd to reduce their coal handling capacity till they implement measures to control the air pollution caused due to coal particles in Vasco city, 35 kms away from here.
"The instructions to reduce the capacity were issued only after going through the records of air ambient monitoring station installed there. The records of the two companies found that several times the maximum permissible levels (MPL) had been exceeded," board chairman Jose Manuel Noronha told reporters after the meeting.
The data of October, 2015 revealed that the MPL was exceeded four times and in November, 2015 it crossed seven times.
The board, on December 24, had issued show-cause notice to both the companies, which are handling coal at MPT.
Adani had permission to handle 5.2 million metric tons and JSW for 7.2 million metric tons.
Noronha said the board will monitor the pollution between February and April before reviewing its decision.
"The companies have been asked to take up measures like water sprinkling, construction of wind breaking walls and restrict the height of pile (stack) to nine metres to curb the pollution levels," he said.
