Londa women decide to take up fight

Raju Gavali / TNN / Dec 23, 2006, 01:43 IST

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The KSPCB stand that it has not noticed any pollution in the vicinity of the Kundil Sponge Iron plant has earned the ire of the residents of Londa.

BELGAUM: The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board's (KSPCB) stand that it has not noticed any pollution in the vicinity of the Kundil Sponge Iron plant and has earned the ire of the residents of Londa.
The womenfolk of Londa have decided to take up the issue themselves and prevent the environs from getting destroyed, says Megha, a member of the Londa gram panchayat.
Speaking on behalf of the womenfolk, Megha said if the industry is not closed down immediately, the lush green forests and the healthy environs of the Sahayadri ranges will not remain the same in the coming days.
Some findings available show that emission from sponge iron plants contain cadmium, nickel, hexavalent chromium (most dangerous through air and water), arsenic,manganese and copper.

Heavy metals in particulate matter are dangerous. Emissions like oxides of sulphur cause quick damage to fruit trees and agricultural harvest.
Lichens are the first to disappear with this kind of pollution and human lungs are also affected. A typical 100 TPD sponge iron plant consumes 160-175 tonnes of iron ore, 120-150 tonnes of coal, 3.5-5 tonnes of dolomite and 120-160 tonnes of water, every day.
They emit 180-200 tonnes of carbon dioxide, 1-2 tonnes of dust (if they are equipped with required pollution control equipment, other wise dust emissions can be as high as 10 tonnes per day), 25-30 tonnes of charcoal, 10-15 of dust from pollution control equipment and 2.5-3.5 tonnes of kiln accretion every day.

The total pollution load from a 100 TPD plant can be as high as 230-250 tonnes per day.The problem worsenens because these plants are medium and smallscale and don't have any capacity to deal with hazardous processes and wastes.
They do not install pollution control equipments because their costs escalate.What is worse is that the Pollution Control Board has not been able to monitor this pollution which has come to the fore here.
Releases of gases like carbon monoxide causes drowsiness, headache, loss in sense of proportion and even death. Sulphur dioxide is oxidised to trioxide and on reacting with moisture, forms acids which is washed down to the earth with rain causing acid rain which damages buildings, vegetation and animal world, especially aquatic life.
Cadmium, a chemical that can cause neurological disorders and cancer, damages crops and fields. Exposure to nickel may affect the blood, lung, nose, kidney, reproductive system, skin and the unborn child.
In prolonged and direct contact with skin, nickel may cause an allergic reaction. Chronic inhalation exposure to nickel fumes may cause cancer and is toxic to aquatic life.

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