Pimpri-Chinchwad among highly-polluted zones

Nashik and Chembur too are in the severely polluted category. Member secretary of MPCB Mahesh Phatak said,“A new plan to check air,water and soil pollution will be readied for the area by the regional officer of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB). With the industrial town high on pollution,the plan will have new parameters,” he said. Pune region officer of the MPCB,PK Mirashe said he has been directed to carry out a thorough survey of the industrial area and check on the parameters which have led to the rise in pollution in the area.

“From air pollution to industrial waste released in water bodies and even soil pollution,we have to monitor all aspects. We have to use the latest technology to try and prevent further pollution and bring the score on pollution index below 60,” he said. A senior officer from CPCB said that out of the 88 industrial clusters surveyed in the country 43 were critically polluted,while 32 were in the severely polluted category. “Its for the first time that such a ranking system has been introduced by the environment ministry so as to initiate proper action against the heavily polluted industrial clusters in the country.

The ranking on a scale of 0-100 is based on their sensitivity towards environment. All available data on issues like water and air pollution,biodiversity conservation,land degradation and waste management were assessed by scientists,” he said. The list also includes 24 ‘environmental hotspots’ identified by the government in 1989 – Vapi and Ankleshwar in Gujarat,Ranipet in Tamil Nadu,Trombay near Mumbai,Korba in Chhattisgarh and Singaruli in Uttar Pradesh.