Eco-watch on Alang

GANDHINAGAR, May 17: The Ministry of Environment amp; Forest MOEF has asked among others the Gujarat government to check the threat posed...

GANDHINAGAR, May 17: The Ministry of Environment amp; Forest MOEF has asked among others the Gujarat government to check the threat posed to marine eco-system by ship-breaking yards. Alang in Bhavnagar is the largest among 10 such yards in the country.

The ministry has also formulated guidelines and an 11-member committee has been formed to advise it. A senior official has already visited Alang and submitted a report to the centre. In compliance the state government has formed a committee under the chairmanship of Bhavnagar collector to implement these guidelines, which have been formulated by the Central Pollution Control Board CPCB, said A K A Rathi, director environment, State government.

Other members of the committee are representatives of Gujarat Pollution Control Board GPCB, Gujarat Maritime Board GMB and Chief Inspector of Factories.

The Alang yard fetches crores of rupees in revenue, but it also poses a potential threat to the marine eco-system. Dilapidated vessels which come for breaking to this slaughter-house from around the globe also leave oil and paint chips into the water, threatening to damage the eco-system. Worse, ships which come here might be containing toxic chemicals. The most important guideline is a complete no-no to ships which are carrying hazardous wastes, like polychlorinated biphenyl, which are banned under the Basel Convention. 8220;Such vessels should not be allowed for breaking. The custom authority and/or concerned state maritime board should ensure this and issue a certificate to this effect that the vessel is free from the prohibited materials,8221; the CPCB guideline says.

A highly placed source in GPCB said ship-breakers have already been asked to comply with hazardous waste management amp; handling rules. Besides, a comprehensive environment management plan is under preparation to handle solid waste and check air and water pollution. The guideline says the industry should use use incinerators to destroy combustible materials like residual oil and paints. An effluent treatment plant is also suggested for handling water containing chemicals like nitrates and phosphate. Besides, the guideline also lays emphasis on maintaining occupational safety of the people involved in the trade. More important, the guideline lay down that the industry will have to prepare a disaster management plan. This is significant for Alang, where fatal accidents are common.

So far, the quality of water near a ship-breaking yard was not monitored by the state pollution control board. But the guideline lays down that pollution control agency will collect water sample every week. However, these guidelines will apply to all the ship-breaking yards in the country. In all, there are some 10 ship-breaking yards in the country. But Alang with its size and the number of people it employs, 25,000, remains the biggest.

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