SHILLONG, March 19 – Mining activities in mineral-rich Meghalaya were being done in an “unscientific and unplanned” manner without any measure for reclamation of mined areas, the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board has said.
Such mining activities were causing “severe water pollution and environmental degradation” in the mining areas, the Board said in its annual report. But the report, tabled in the Assembly on Friday, did not indicate the extent of damage by such mining.
Meghalaya is rich in mineral resources and the main minerals are coal and limestone found in alomst its entire southern belt. Mining activites are mostly in private hands.
In the annual report for 2003-04, the Board said it was estimated that about 80 per cent of the pollution was caused by “indiscriminate” discharge or disposal of domestic sewage, trade effluents, urban solid wastes, bio-medical wastes, domesitc fuel burning and vehicular exhaust emissions.
However, the exhaust emissions from vehicles were the major contributors to air pollution since road transport was the only mode of transport in the state, it said. Due to certain factors, the industrial development in the state was “slow” and as such the environmental pollution from industrial sources was “not that significant”.
As per information from the Directorate of Industries, the report said, there were about 3,800 industrial units or establishments in the state. Most of these were tiny units, non-polluting in nature. However, some of these were polluting and one of them was cement plant under large-scale industrial sector falling in the categories of highly polluting industries. Others were medium and small-scale cement plants, lime calcination plants, ingot manufacturing and steel rolling mills etc.
MSPCB said most of the lime calcination units were coal-fired and kilns were of traditional type not having any hood or chimney for venting out the smoke. But so far, no cost-effective pollution control system could be suggested for such units due to peculiar nature of the kilns structure, the type of coal used and the climatic condition at the places where such units were dominantly located.
The report said the Board was regulating the discharge of effluents and air emissions from industries through the issuance of consents to establish/operate under the Water and Air Acts.
While issuing consents, conditions were being imposed with regard to the effluent and the emission standards to which industries have to comply with. Conditions were also stipulated for setting up effluent treatment plants and/or installing of air pollution control systems whenever found necessary. – PTI
