Lok Sabha Question No. 3917 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-03-19
Subject: Environmental Pollution due to Coal Handling
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Jyotsna Charandas Mahant

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3917

TO BE ANSWERED ON 19.03.2021

## Environmental Pollution due to Coal Handling

## 3917. SHRIMATI JYOTSNA CHARANDAS MAHANT:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has received representations for halting of Coal Handling at Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) Goa due to issues relating to environmental pollution;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and response of the Government and MPT thereto;
- (c) whether it is a fact that storage and Coal handing at MPT are the major contributors to Air and water pollution; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof along with the steps taken by the Government for sustainable environment and to ensure good health of tourists/locals by complete halting of Coal handling by MPT?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI BABUL SUPRIYO)

(a )to (d) Goa State pollution Control Board ( Goa SPCB) is in receipt of representations regarding    dust  pollution  caused    due  to  coal  handling  operation  at  Mormugao  Port  Trust (MPT). Details of the complaints received by Goa SPCB is attached at Annexure .

Goa SPCB while issuing consent to coal handing units has specified measures to be adopted by units to maintain the Ambient Air Quality (AAQ) standards.

Goa State Pollution Control Board has issued consent to operate to MPT on 2 July 2020 with specific conditions, which includes:

- (i) The daily quantity of industrial effluent from the factory shall not exceed beyond prescribed limits.
- (ii) The daily quantity of domestic effluent from the factory shall not exceed beyond 40 KLD.
- (iii) The  unit  shall  maintain  and  operate  continuous  ambient  air  quality  monitoring system.
- (iv) The applicant shall store coal in such a way that coal stack height, should not be higher than 9 meters and clear distance between two adjoining heap at GL should be 5 meters.
- (v) Cargo-related operations at the MPT berths is permitted upto a wind-speed of 30 Km/hr. with the strict-adherence to the following conditions:
- (a) Normal operations permitted upto a wind-speed of 28 Km/hr (i.e. Beaufort scale-04).
- (b) Precautionary measures should be in place with proportionate scaling-down Operations when the wind speed exceeds 28 km/hr. (i.e. Beaufort scale-05).
- (c) All operations should stop at a wind-speed of 30 km/hr.
- (d) Wind speed is not applicable during rainy season from June to September.
- (e) Conditions from a to c are not applicable for green/non dusty cargo.
- (vi) The port facility should submit an action plan within one month with a detailed layout plan and settling pond  arrangements  to ensure that no rain water contaminated with coal enters water body.
- (vii) The  unit  shall  install  vertical  garden  and  maintain  the  same  wherever  possible within the port and periphery and submit action plan within one month.
- (viii) The existing wind shield of 15-meter height should be lined with liners either of tarpaulin/jute bag or equivalent in order to restrict the flow of dust particles. This may be kept  in  wet  conditions  all  the  time.  This  may  be  done  immediately  till vertical garden is in place.

The  Government  has  taken  numerous  initiatives  towards  control  of  air  and  water pollution across the country, inter alia include monitoring of ambient air and water  quality under NAMP and NWMP,  development of industry specific emission and effluent standards, installation of Online Continuous Emission/ Effluent Monitoring System (OCEMS)  to track discharge    of  pollutant  from  17  categories  of  highly  polluting  industries.,    issuance  of directions under Section 18(1)(b) of Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 and under Section 5 of Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, etc.

*****

## ANNEXURE REFERRED  IN  REPLY  TO  THE  LOK  SABHA  UNSTARRED  QUESTION  NO.  3917 DUE  FOR  ANSWER  ON  19.03.2021  REGARDING  'ENVIRONMENTAL  POLLUTION  DUE  TO COAL HANDLING" RAISED BY SHRIMATI JYOTSNA CHARANDAS MAHANT

## Details of Complaints received by Goa SPCB.

|   SI. No | Complainant                                    | Subject                                                                                                                                          |
|----------|------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|        1 | The Concerned Citizen 21-10-2008               | Overloading of trucks carrying coal/coke from Mormugao Harbour                                                                                   |
|        2 | The Concerned Citizen 14-09-2009               | Coal handling at Mormugao Port-Seriou health Hazzard to citizens of Vasco                                                                        |
|        3 | The Concerned Citizen 17-04-2009               | Coal Pollution in Vasco City                                                                                                                     |
|        4 | The Concerned Citizen 21-04-2009               | Coal pollution in the City of Vasco                                                                                                              |
|        5 | Save Vasco-Committee 15-02-2010                | Heavy pollution causing environmental degradation which has impact on public health.                                                             |
|        6 | T.T. Shreedharan 25-11-2010                    | Complaint against Coal handling at Mormugao Port.                                                                                                |
|        7 | Deepak Naik (Online Grievance) 19-01-2017      | Regarding dust pollution caused due to transportation of coal.                                                                                   |
|        8 | GoencheRakondaar 31-07-2018                    | Complaint in public interest (fallen coal in patches on roads)                                                                                   |
|        9 | Suvarnabandekar 05-09-2018                     | Regarding dust pollution caused due to transportation of coal.                                                                                   |
|       10 | GoencheRakondaar 31-07-2018                    | Complaint against M/s Adani and MPT against coal pollution                                                                                       |
|       11 | Goa First 12-02-2019                           | Complaint for causing Nuisance, air pollution and sound pollution by Adani Mormugao Port terminals, South wet port Ltd. And Mormugao Port Trust. |
|       12 | Savio J F Correia 28-02-2019                   | Compliant regarding coal handling at Mormugao port in windy condition in violation of Board directions.                                          |
|       13 | Sherwyn F FCorreia 13-08-2019                  | Coal handling at MPT mooring Dolphins on trial basis                                                                                             |
|       14 | Life is Beautiful (Ashley MNoronha) 12-02-2019 | Concern regarding Coal dust pollution happening in town of Vasco Goa                                                                             |
|       15 | SherwynCorreia 18-02-2019                      | Violation of consent terms and environmental norms by coal handlers at Mormugao Port                                                             |
|       16 | Goa First 18-02-2019                           | Violation of consent terms and environmental norms by coal handlers at Mormugao Port.                                                            |
|       17 | AleixoReginaldoLaurenco, 18-02-2019            | Coal Dust Menace in Vasco & other areas of Gao.                                                                                                  |
|       18 | Savio J F Correia 26-02-2019                   | Coal Handling operation at MPT in gross violation of GSPCB directions.                                                                           |
|       19 | Savio J F Correia 01-06-2020                   | Coal Handling operation at Mormugao Port during Cyclonic weather                                                                                 |
|       20 | Savio J F Correia 01-06-2020                   | Appeal to halt coal handling operations at Mormugao port during cyclonic weather.                                                                |
|       21 | Montu Kumar Choudhury 19-11-2020               | Impact of negligent coal handling cause damages to the environment as well as human, non-human, air soil and water                               |
|       22 | AleixoReginaldoLaurenco 27-11-2020             | Dangerously overloaded carrier with coal in Goan waters.                                                                                         |
|       23 | GoyantKollso Naka 09-10-2020                   | Demand to stop coal transportation, coal infrastructure project and land acquisition for doubling of hospet-Vasco-Da-Gama railway track          |
|       24 | Vasco block Congress Committee                 | Complaint regarding handling and transportation of coal at Vasco City.                                                                           |